Neglected lake to Bird sanctuary.

Remember Piyush?
So he is back in full action (ok, a hand tied, due to an accident he had recently, but that cant stop him, we know!) and this time its my pet area too. Water body! But Piyush’s speed is different, you know.
He, during some conversation with the collector, offered to clean the periphery of a lake (50+ acres) called mookeneri lake, involving students and public. This appealed to the collector to sensitise the water body. So Piyush got some 700 people and cleaned a major area around the lake a month back, some 45 days back to be more accurate!
Then he got the collector more involved and asked him to let this evolve with public participation in to a bird sanctuary. The collector liked the idea but suspected the modus operandi. Piyush explained (am sure with lotsa pumped gas, as I know him and great picture he wud have painted with consummate ease)
And asked for written approval from him thru the PWD (which is the authority). Ofcourse who ever owned this lake (from the govt side), as usual hasn’t bothered to even desilt it for last 60 years.
That’s also the reason for no encroachment, IMHO.
So here our man gets in to mobilizing people once the PWD and govt said ok.
But that’s the difference between this small devil and others. The pace at which he will move things and get work done, even if the collector has a rethinking, a major part wud be done before he can wink and frame one sentence.
So our man goes about desilting, getting some JCB and other machines at work- full speed.
When he called me and apprised me of this and asked me to come over to have a look, I said, I shall see it next time I travel that side. And typical of him he pressed me to come over immediately if I wanted to see from scratch. And believe me from the time I spoke to him and 48 hours, so much had been accomplished there!
There were thes huge craters he digs as a part of desilting and creates the huge soil masses which will eventually become huge islands. On top of each island shall come some 200-300 bamboo tress and few huge trees (like peepal, banyan, cherry etc ) which shall attract birds.
The circumference of each island shall be 350-450 feet. Imagine some huge circular islands and some rope bridges connecting them with water alla round and kids going there to camp and educate themselves on environment/ecology.
The plan itself is not anything new, but the pace and the way he starts off without any money even and in the process goes about collecting is typical Piyush. Ofcourse there is a big team out there, a big public participation (esp now with his recent arrest, he has won so much sympathy that he has won so many more supporters!)

Wait! Here was a man who fought and singlehandedly closed a couple of mines around. So if he were to dig from lake site will the politico-corporate nexus not pounce? That was my thinking bcos the right to allow any one to desilt and btake the mud/soil lies with Directorate of Mines. That’s where there is huge chance for lethargy, apathy, no-will-or-action and corruption. So now if he were to take, I cudnt stop imagining..and he coolly says “that’s why I never allowed one tipper to enter here. We will excavate and pile up here itself. So no one can point their finger”. Very clever, me thinks. So that’s piyush. Already eco clubs of schools involved, many leading citizens involved, noted public figures vested with some responsibilities and hence a cool team set up which shall turn this ignored and neglected lake in to a big water body and more than that a special bird sanctuary.
Hats off piyush! Again!!
Keep going..let some rub on people like us and lets be inspired to achieve atleast a small percentage.
And BTW, Thanks for doing this Piyush! An eco restoration worth its salt err water.

for some fotos, bad ones from my mobile, go here.

Note: many of u asked me what happened to his case after that arrest! Strangely nothing! Absolutely nothing!! Yes, the police have no case prolly, so no charge sheet filed as of now. This clearly indicates that had nothing else other than malice and vendetta- in the form of pressure from some political cohort or lout.