Boating begins at Budhi Lake

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT, Taulihawa, Aug. 5: Boating service has been started in Budhi Lake of Buddhabhumi Municipality-4, Kapailvastu ,with assistance from Lumbini Provincial Ministry of Tourism, Rural and Urban Development to promote tourism.

Minister for Tourism, Rural and Urban Development Rina Nepal and Mayor of the municipality Keshav Kumar Shrestha had jointly inaugurated the boating service.

Roshan Prasad Tamrakar, engineer of the ministry, said that the ministry had invested a total of Rs. 2,696,000 for tourism development of Budhi Lake. A total of four boats have been operated, two motor-driven and two pedal-driven, costing  Rs. 800,000.

Minister Nepal said that it was a good initiative taken by the municipality for the development of tourism business. She added that the provincial government had allocated Rs. 6 million for the development of Budhi Lake in the current fiscal year.  

Mayor Shrestha said that they had planned to invest Rs. 1 billion  after preparing DPR of the Budhi Lake and this project has been put in the pride projects of the municipality. “We will attract tourists by making the lake beautiful and enchanting,” he said.

On that occasion, Mukti Prasad Pandey, head of Tourism Division Office, Rupandehi, said that the attraction of Budhi Lake, which has four ponds spread over 80 bighas, has increased after the operation of boats. He said that the lake should be made more organised and beautiful. 

For the overall development of the lake and income generation, the municipality has given responsibility of management of the lake to the Budhi locals. 

The locals have been generating income by farming fish in the lake as well as chickens, ducks and goats.