Kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) formally handed over 4.5 bigha land to the authorities of Lake Kalibari on Wednesday. The latter will take up urban forestry and beautify the three boulevards opposite the temple. "Lake Kalibari is a heritage site and people from all parts of the country and even the world come to visit the place. We are handing over the three boulevards situated on nearly 6,000 square metres to the authorities of Lake Kalibari and they will take up urban forestry and beautify them," said Mayor Firhad Hakim, after signing the agreement regarding the land allotment, given on a 30-year lease, free of cost. Hakim said that the temple authorities will create a green cover, musical fountain, vertical garden, a processing unit of discarded flowers and a butterfly park, for beautification of the boulevard. "The Rabinda Sarovar Lake located very close to Lake Kalibari is a favourite destination for a variety of birds and creating urban forestry in the boulevards will also attract the avians of the lake there," Hakim said. KMC will be providing electrical facilities and a deep tubewell for watering the greenery. The shrine authorities have already taken up renovation of the temple and with the boulevards opposite it being beautified, the place is expected to attract more devotees. The temple sees a footfall of 5,000 people on a daily basis and the footfall on weekends goes up much more. Nitai Chandra Basu, a sebayet of Lake Kalibari, said that they have already completed urban forestry in one of the boulevards, done by Exide Industries and will follow suit in the other two. "We have already arranged training of the priests at Lake Kalibari," Basu said. According to a member of the temple committee, there was a time when there was no fencing in the boulevards and it had turned into a garbage dumping ground. But now, with their maintenance initiative along with KMC, the place wears a beautiful look.

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