The recent heavy rain has gifted a fresh lease of life to Pushkar lake, which has both the locals and the tourists spellbound. For the first time in many years, the lake is filled with water, which is also flowing to the surrounding ghats. Presently, the water level in the lake is 19 feet and the ghats make a beautiful sight. It is also for the first time that the water level has been recorded to be as high after the lake underwent a complete renovation four years ago. “I don’t remember the last time its water touched the steps of the ghats. Apart from the tourists, even the locals are thronging the lake because most have never seen the lake like it is now,’’ said Shravan Parasar, secretary of the Pushkar Purohit Association. Parasar said that the locals in particular are delighted to see the lake water gushing on to the ghat steps. After heavy rain in the region in the past three days, the water is flowing from nearby Savitri and Nag hills towards lake. The town itself and the surrounding hills have also become green, adding to the rain impact. Happy about it, the locals are already anticipating and preparing for heavy rush in the forthcoming tourist season, which is at its peak during the cattle fair. Foreign tourists have already started coming to the city and more are expected by the end of this month. “Presently, there are nearly 5,000 tourists in Pushkar, mainly from Israel, followed by Italy, France and Britain and they enjoy spending time at the lake,’’ said Kishan Sharma, owner of a restaurant located opposite Gau Ghat. The district administration received a budget of Rs 110 crore from Central government under national conservation project in which it planned beautification and managing feeders of the lake. Till now, Rs 41 crore has been spent on renovation, of which Rs 33.46 crore was allotted by the Centre and the remaining by the state. The district administration has now finalised a plan of Rs 26 lakh for its beautification. Girl injured in Ajmer wall collapse Ajmer: A six-year-old girl was injured when a wall of a house collapsed in Longia Mohalla on Wednesday afternoon. The incident took place at the house of one Gopal Kumar of Longia Mohalla. Gopal is the neighbour of Siraj, whose house collapsed a day before and three people died in the incident. “We rushed out with our items but my daughter Kalawati got hit by debris. She got wounds and was taken to hospital,” said Gopal’s wife. Meanwhile, incharge minister of the district Bina Kak reached Ajmer and visited several areas of the city. She talked to family members of Siraj in Longia Mohalla and assured of relief measures. She also went to Gujjar Dharti, Nagra and Jhalkari Nagar where she met affected people. TNN