Bandipora- Set on the banks of Wular —Asia’s second largest fresh lake, the newly constructed boardwalk in a picturesque Zurimanz village here has become a major attraction for youth, especially the selfie lovers in this North Kashmir district.
Known as Bangladesh across North Kashmir, this small hamlet of Zurimanz has all of sudden become a favourite spot for photographers, social-media savvy youth, and the villagers of the neighborhood for the boardwalk constructed by Wular Conservation and Management Authority (WCMA) recently.
The village, according to locals, rose from ashes in a devastative fire during the 1971 India and Pakistan war that ended with the creation of Bangladesh. Since then, this village is popularly known as Bangladesh.
“I saw the picture of the boardwalk on social media and I couldn’t stop myself from coming here. It’s absolutely stunning,” Nasir Lone, a resident of Kupwara said.
According to a WCMA official, the length and breadth of the boardwalk is 120 ft x 6 feet and can bear the weight of around 100 persons at a time. However, 15 to 20 persons are allowed at a time under the strict vigil of WCMA officials and Forest Protection Force (FPF) personnel.
“The boardwalk has not been constructed deep inside the lake, it is near the shore of the lake so that even if it collapses, there are very less chances of loss of human lives,” said an official.
WCMA, he said, have kept buoys and tubes available to manage any risk arising out of collapse of the boardwalk that has been completed in just two months. Besides, he said, safety audits will be carried out after every quarter.
“It feels so nice to be here. You can see the full view of Wular lake from here,” said Tariq Ahmad, a resident of Sopore.
The Boardwalk provides a breath-taking scene of mount Harmukh overlooking the Wular lake. Apart from it, the visitors can also enjoy a wide range of activities, including boating, fishing, and bird watching.
Conservator WCMA, Irfan Rasool Wani told Kashmir Observer that the construction of the boardwalk was part of a comprehensive plan for eco-tourism in Wular lake and that the government is keen to bring the lake on tourism map.
“The government is taking various steps to promote the village as a popular destination among tourists,” Wani said, adding “The village is the meeting point of two districts—Bandipora and Baramulla.
“Some work is still pending for the Boardwalk but there was an overwhelming response from the visitors and we couldn’t stop them,” he added.
To attract more visitors to the newly created site, Wani said that WCMA has started dredging inside the lake and construction of small parks, riverside beautification, Shikara ghats are also in the offing.
“We are also encouraging the local community for homestays so that they could benefit,” he added.
The Wular lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes of Asia having an area of 130 sqkm. The WCMA is working on the conservation, restoration and rehabilitation of Wular lake.
“The lake has a silt and willow infestation problem which is being mitigated by carrying out large scale earth excavation and willow removals,” the officials said.
As per official figures, an area of 4.5 sq km has been restored out of 27 sq kms. The work on remaining 22 is going on. The project is being executed in a phased manner. The two phases of the dredging have been completed so far.
“The administrative approvals for the other phases are yet to be received. We will float the tenders after approvals and start the work,” he added.
In 2018, the UT administration had sanctioned Rs 200-crore Wular Action Plan for the conservation and management of the lake.
The official said that so far one lakh willows have been removed from the lake during restoration works so far which has generated revenue of Rs 24 crore to the government.
The dredging has increased the capacity of the lake. Around 30 villages are dwelling on the banks of the lake. It also supports the livelihood of a huge population and is a habitat for migratory water birds.
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