The Tk 5 crore project undertaken by the PWD, aimed to re-excavate the 14-acre 'lost' lake and beautify the adjoining areas, ground to a halt only months after it was inaugurated in February last year.

Although signs of development work are evident at remote spots that seem to have been filled up with earth alongside the lake, no prefabrication in the larger sense is apparent.

"We saw ministry workers evicting some structures alongside the lake during the beginning of the project and later labourers filled up the lake bank. That is all we have seen them doing," said Monirul Islam, a resident of Bagicha.

The PWD had intended to resume the restoration project anticipating that the government would allocate additional fund this year, said PWD sources.

However, with the government exhibiting little interest in the given issue, PWD officials fear that the project would not catch sight of the daylight any time soon.

"We expected the government to allocate additional funds during the first quarter of this year, but under the current situation I don't think that would be likely even in the next few months," said Debashish Chandra Shaha, Sub-divisional Engineer, division 4, PWD.

According to Mizanur Rahman, Executive Engineer, PWD division 4, the initially allotted fund of 5 crore for the given project was much lower than the originally proposed budget.

"The fund that was initially allocated during last year has already been exhausted in implementing the first phase of the project," said Mizanur Rahman, Executive Engineer, PWD division 4.

The newly appointed executive engineer however failed to elaborate on the required amount of total budget for the designated project.

Tainted by years of indiscriminate dumping of household, industrial and clinical waste into its water, the lake oversaw little enthusiasm from the authorities regarding its refurbishment for over 35 years.

"Over the years, the lake has become a convenient spot for the residents to dump waste. The slums that have spawned in the lakeside areas do not help things either," said Khairuzzaman, a resident of Bagicha.

The project includes setting up two bridges across the lake linking Bagicha-North Shahjahanpur with Biswa Road, a children's park, a footbridge, and a lake sidewalk. It also involves cleansing and refreshing the water body, and a graveyard on 12 bighas of land on the lake's west bank.