Keeping Srinagar’s Dal Lake clean is a task being given top priority by the Mufti Mohammed Sayeed government. The assessment of the state’s tourism ministry is that the restoration and upkeep of the Dal is the key to giving a boost to tourism in the Valley. To attract funds for cleaning of the lake, the government now wants to declare the water body a world heritage entity. State finance minister Muzzaffar Hussain Baig confirmed to the media that the Dal required considerable funding for its conservation and that a world heritage status would help in a big way. As a first step, the government plans to rehabilitate lake dwellers and then launch a beautification drive there. But, more importantly, a proper drainage system has to be put in place.