Saputara, Gujarat’s only hill station

Saputara to get a new, bigger, fuller lake

A lake city, cable cars, mountain rail, perennial waterfall will be the added attractions at state’s only hill station once it gets a makeover
DILIP PATEL
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Saputara, Gujarat’s only hill station, is readying for a makeover and a Rs 500 crore one at that. That is government money; tourism ministry sources say private investment will be much more than this amount.
In the first phase of the mega plan, a new expansive water body, four times the size of the famous Saputara lake will be created.
On Wednesday, the district collector began land auction to private investors. Tenders for lake development will be floated, ministry officials said.
The new water body, a little downstream, will be fed by the excess rainwater that spills from the Saputara Lake. Another part of this ambitious project is to make the tourist spot’s famous waterfall a perennial one.
Officials expect the new water body to remain full throughout the year, fed with excess rainwater and the waterfall.
A check dam will be built on the waterfall’s upstream and will release water at timed intervals to keep both lakes full and the waterfall - which is in its full glory only in monsoons - gushing throughout the year.
The hill station is called Gujarat’s Cherrapunji for highest rainfall in the state, but goes dry in summers. Officials also believe this will solve Saputara’s water woes.
Trees and which can withstand harsh climate and bloom in summers will be planted across the Lake City that will come up on the periphery of the expansive lake.
This Lake City will house hotels, entertainment zones, clubs, a ropeway and a tribal village, Tourism Minister Jay Narayan Vyas said.
Considering environmental aspects, mishaps and convenience of tourists, the Saputara-Nashik highway will be closed for heavy roads and a by-pass road constructed, the minister said. Plans are afoot for a hill train; railway authorities are working on a feasibility report.
Planning of the hill station has been handed over to Architectural College of Surat