The movers and shakers of the capital’s power corridors have changed, but the condition of Ranchi Lake has not.

The 52-acre manmade lake from the British era, where the 33-foot-tall bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda was inaugurated last year in the middle of the waterbody, is one of the prime tourist attractions of the capital.

But the lake water can hardly be seen, thanks to the hyacinth cover, pointed out a student, among the 800-odd visitors on Tuesday morning.

“Hyacinth covers the entire surface of the lake, then there’s drainwater flowing in from the densely populated localities like Upper Bazar, Hindpiri and Purani Ranchi. The water of the lake is a cesspool. It’s so sad to see this magnificent lake in such a dirty state,” said Shamsh Faiz, a Class VIII student of Metas Seventh Day Adventist School, Bargain, who visited the lake for the first time on Tuesday.

The student added: “I’d heard so much about it and I am disappointed.”

Ahmed Saad, a resident of Hindpiri and a regular visitor to Ranchi Lake, echoed the boy. “Despite a bridge connecting the two islands on the lake, leading to the statue, it does not look beautiful due to the dirty water. A pathway around the lake was under construction for last one year to enable tourists and morning walkers a round around the lake, construction work has stopped for the last few days,” Saad said.

Santosh Kumar, a resident of Argora, said the number of tourists to Ranchi Lake would “multiply like anything if the water is cleaned”.

“The government can give employment to several people and earn revenue from tourists if proper attention is paid to the lake. But despite the change in government, I did not see any change in the condition of the lake,” Kumar said.

Told about the hyacinths and dirty water in the lake, Ranchi mayor Asha Lakra pleaded helplessness. “Please understand, the municipal body does not have sufficient funds to take care of the development work. Regular deputation of workers is needed to clean hyacinths. To hire workers, one needs extra funds. Till this does not happen it is difficult to regularly clean the hyacinths which grow overnight,” Lakra said.

Last year, then CM Raghubar Das unveiled the statue of Swami Vivekananda. This year, newly elected CM Hemant Soren garlanded the statue and allowed people to access the statue. The place remains open from 10am to 5pm every day except Monday.