Realising that the popularity of its dam - it sees over 10,000 people during the weekends between June and September - could be used to mint significant money, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has mooted a proposal to convert the 20,000 sqmt dam and the area around it into a tourism hub complete with luxury honeymoon suites, log huts, restaurants overlooking the lake, theme parks and landscaped gardens. 

Currently, revellers swim in the dam and enjoy the waterfall on the dam's steps. The land around the dam is also lush green during the monsoons making it a perfect getaway, especially since you can enjoy so much for free. In its proposal sent to the Central Railway (CR) last week, IRCTC plans to set up boating clubs and lifeguards at the dam to ensure safety of the paying tourists. Currently, there are neither lifeguards nor any officials securing the site and there have been many instances of revellers drowning. 

The Bhushi dam was built for the Grand Indian Peninsular Railway (GIPR) network, which was set up over 150 years ago. The dam served as a centre to provide water to power steam engines that ran across the central parts of India first as the GIPR, under the British rule, and then later in its post-Independence avatar as Central Railway. CR now owns the dam and the land around it. 

IRCTC Group General Manager (west) Virendra Singh said a detailed plan has been sent to Central Railway asking it to hand over the dam and its precincts to IRCTC for the proposed set up. 

Mumbai Mirror