UDAIPUR, Nov 14 (TIWN): At a time when the State is concern about saving the flora and fauna of Kalyansagar of Tripura Sundari Temple at Udaipur under Gomati District, the puja committee has been allegedly found least bothered about the dumping of waste materials in to the lake during the festive hour.

Even after two days of the Diwali celebration, the authorities are not even bothered to clean the mess in the lake hampering the eco-system of the lake and the flora and fauna. It is mostly spoiling the endangered species of turtles found in the lake.

Every year lakhs of devotees visit the temple during the Diwali celebration. Knowing about the fact of the huge crowd the puja committee has been allegedly found taking no initiative to curb the down the dumping of waste materials in to the lake by the devotees during the festive hour.

With an aim to save the flora and fauna of the lake where various seminar and meeting are being organized by the various organizations, during the festive hour the devotees were witnessed dumping waste paper and packets in to the lake.

More than 2000 police personnel were deployed around the lake and at the premises of the Tripura Sundari Temple. But after two days of the Puja celebration the embankment were found with waste materials scared here and there.

Besides, more than thousands of people were observed taking bath in the lake and polluting the water.

There are four types of turtles and people should pay concern to the species. As among them the Bostami turtle is one of the rare species. The most prominent temple of Tripura, the Tripura Sundari temple’s Lake Kalyan Sagar is famous all over India for the collection of its rare Bostami turtles and various kinds of fishes. But the extinctions of its tortoises have now become a matter of concern for the common masses of the state.

Tortoises were earlier found unable to breed their offspring for the artificial cemented embankments, although the cemented embankments has been bulldozes in order to save the rare species Bostami turtles, which are only found in the Kalyan Sagar of Tripureshwari Temple.

Though the east side of the cemented embankment has been bulldozed but the negligence of the authority towards keeping the water clean and dumping free is hampering the eco-system of the lake.

In 2014, the expert committee constituted by the state government had recommended to demolish the cemented embankment and to facilitate a natural breeding ground for the water bodies. They also recommended steps to improve the Lake Environment, shifting of some fish from the lake and sufficient supply of food for the turtles and big fishes, besides restriction on human activities disturbing the aquatic life, the present filthy scenario of the lake seems that the authority are is long yawning siesta.

It is to be mentioned that defying all the warnings of environmentalists the temple authorities decided to erect cemented embankments around the banks of Kalyan Sagar in 1998. Since then more than 20 deaths of N-Nigricans turtles were recorded. In 2012 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had declared this Bostami species turtles as an extinct species. A lot of controversies started to arise since then.

However, it was expected that the HC decision to demolish at least two sides of cemented embankment of Kalyansagar would help to improve the situation but the negligence of the authority shows that they are least bothered about the flora and fauna if the lake.