The Asian Junior RowingChampionships at Chandigarh, held from November 24to 27, took a cruel toll of trees.The organisers found thatthe heavy inflow of silt and seepage of water from the lakeposed problems for rowing. Three draglines wererequisitioned from the Punjab government's irrigation and drainage department to de-silt the lakeand to work on the embankments of the rowingchannel.
As the draglines were driven along the channel,several trees had to be chopped or clipped to makeway for the heavy machinery. Trees along theembankments also got the axe for the same reason.Interestingly, when Maneka Gandhi was the Unionminister of state for environment and forests,instructions were issued to the Chandigarh administration to ensure no rowing activity was allowed atthe Sukhna lake, so that its ecological balance was notdisturbed. The lake was also accorded the status of awetland, bringing it under the wetland developmentprogramme of the Indian government. Butfor the present, the Chandigarh administrationappears more interested in sports than environmental conservation.