Chandigarh administration has finally decided to open the Sukhna Lake for general public on 19th Jan, 2015. The lake at Chandigarh was closed on 18th Dec 2014 after one of the dead geese tested positive for bird flu. The decision of opening the lake comes right after 1 month. Section 144 of the Indian Police Code was effective around the lake premises during this time and no one was allowed to enter the Sukhna Lake. Police personal were deployed at all entry points including the back side and the dam area at the regulator end. The forest area and the bird sanctuary at the Sukhna Dam regulator end were also closed.
A few days back the Chandigarh Administration had said the decision of opening the Lake would be taken after all concerned departments and the central government give a green signal. The news of opening of Sukhna Lake has brought cheers to the residents of Chandigarh. CITCO has earlier requested the administration to open the lake after the water samples taken from Sukhna Lake had tested negative for avian flu.
Sukhna lake has been properly sanitized
It may be noted that the whole lake area has been sanitized properly as per the rules mentioned by WHO (World Health Organization). The stairs near the water, rocks on the shore, walking path etc. has been disinfected by spraying chemicals along with lime powder. This has been done to ensure that there is no infection of any sort. Even the road outside lake and the parking area has been sanitized.
The restaurant area and the shops have also been sanitized in order to kill the traces of bird flu virus (if any).
No Boating Allowed
Although residents of Chandigarh as well as tourists will be able to visit Sukhna Lake but the ban on boating and other activities has not been lifted yet. According to the WHO, no one should be allowed to go to the area where geese have been buried for at least 3 months and no construction activity like digging should be carried out on that land for 1 year. Taking precautionary measures the Chandigarh Administration has said that people will not be allowed to do boating at Sukhna Lake till further notice.
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