THATTA, May 8: Formalities to hand over the Keenjhar lake to the Thatta district government are being finalised and by the second week of June, the district administration will take over its charge.

The lake, which is an artificial reservoir spreading over 50 square miles, is located in the Thatta district.

The DCO, Thatta, Mohammad Usman Panhwar, initiated correspondence on the subject with the provincial government after the local district council had unanimously adopted a resolution in this regard.

A number of meetings were held in this regard between the Sindh Tourism Development Corporation, district Nazim Syed Shafqat Hussain Shirazi and the chief secretary, Sindh, K. B. Rind, which had helped materialise the move.

However, the move is opposed by a large number of members of district council as well as MPAs Sassui Palijo, Humera Alwani and Heer Soho.

These leaders are of firm opinion that the district government, headed by Shafqat Shirazi, had already betrayed the public trust by breaking all the past records of corruption nepotism and favouritism.

They claimed that handing over a major picnic resort to a district government would create a precedent and every district would lay claims to their local resorts leaving the departments concerned idle and a liability on the government.

Much before the resort was to be entrusted to the district government, the present management of the lake had doubled the entry fee.

The motive behind this move was guardedly revealed by an officer concerned, saying that the move was meant to contain the public outcry after the taking over of the resort by the district government.

The district Nazim, while talking to journalists, said that the Keenjhar lake had been neglected in the past.

He said that instead of exploiting its potential to attract tourists, no measures were taken to make it a worthwhile visiting spot.

The district government, he said, would encourage private sector to build various facilities, including a playland, hotels and motels.

Meanwhile, MPA Syed Manzoor Shah released 50,000 fish seedlings in the lake.