Chandigarh, Jan. 17 -- A day after several fish were found dead following an oil spill at the regulatory end of Sukhna Lake, a team from the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) pumped out the oil from the affected area on Friday. CPCC member secretary Saurabh Kumar, who held a meeting with the concerned departments, said that the exact cause of the spill is still being ascertained. However, preliminary findings suggest the leakage may have originated from a steamer boat operating on the lake. "We have directed that no oil-powered boats be used at Sukhna Lake until further orders," Kumar said, adding that the police have been asked to examine CCTV footage from the past two days to determine how the oil entered the lake and to fix responsibility. Further action will be taken based on the investigation's findings, he said. At present, Sukhna Lake's fleet consists of 135 paddle boats, five shikaras, and one cruise boat with a capacity of 20 passengers. Boating activities generate substantial revenue, with earnings touching nearly Rs.2 lakh on weekends and around Rs.1 lakh on weekdays. Declared a national wetland in 1988 by the Union ministry of environment and forests, and later accorded the status of a "living entity" by the Punjab and Haryana high court in 2020, Sukhna Lake enjoys special conservation protection. Its catchment area has also been notified as the Sukhna wildlife sanctuary. The man-made, rain-fed lake, which spreads over 338 acres, supports around 30 species of fish, including major Indian carps and several exotic varieties. The UT department of animal husbandry and fisheries regularly stocks the lake, while additional species enter from surrounding areas during the monsoon. In May last year, the UT administration drafted a comprehensive five-year conservation and development plan for the lake. A wetland authority, chaired by the Chandigarh administrator, has since been constituted to oversee these efforts. Preventing water pollution in this ecologically sensitive zone remains a key focus of the plan. All future activities or constructions around the lake will require approval from the wetland authority to ensure the protection of aquatic life, the maintenance of water levels, and the overall ecological balance of the lake....