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Bengal

Rowing resumes at Lake after 5 months

Rowing resumes at Lake after 5 months
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kolkata: Much to the delight of the rowers, rowing activities at Rabindra Sarobar resumed on Thursday after a gap of five months with manual rescue boats.

Meanwhile, a trial run with petrol-driven rescue boats to assess the impact of pollution in the waterbody in presence of the extended expert committee of the state government was held.

Rowing activities were stalled from May 22 after the death of two young rowers on May 21 after their boats toppled during a storm.

"We have collected water samples to assess the impact of pollution and had also installed sound measuring technology to test the sound level. The report is expected early next week, based on which permission will be given on the operation of petrol-driven rescue boats," Chairman of West Bengal Pollution Control Board, Kalyan Rudra said.

Special Commissioner of Urban Development & Municipal Affairs department Nandini Ghosh who was present during the trial run said that the West Bengal Rowing Association (WBRA) to which the three clubs by the lake are affiliated have been directed to follow the SOPs (Standard Operating Procedure) and take into consideration the weather alert of IMD while undertaking rowing. Officials from Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) — the custodian of the Lake — were present along with several rowers.

Rudra has suggested placing a blinking light for weather-related warnings at a strategic place so that it is easily visible to the rowers during rowing. Presently, the light has been placed at a location where it is not properly visible.

The WBRA has agreed to the same and assured of doing the needful.

The NGT (National Green Tribunal) in September had made it clear that whether petrol boats should be permitted, if they are environmentally compliant, is a matter to be decided exclusively by KMDA along with the expert committee constituted.

"We have started rowing in a skeletal manner with manual rescue boats. We are hopeful that formal clearance will come early next week so that regular full-fledged rowing can start," Raja Dasgupta, President of WBRA said.

"While exchanging my views with international rowers licensed rescue experts and carbon fibre boat manufacturers I have come to know that manual rescue boats along with 2-3 soundless and emission-free battery follow boat operations are more desirable than fossil fuel operated rescue boats in National Lake to maintain eco-balance in silence zone," Environmentalist SM Ghosh said.

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