The Supreme Court has directed the Maharashtra government and its metro rail corporation to halt any construction activity at Nagpur’s renowned Futala Lake.
The lake, spanning over 60 acres and originally constructed by the Bhosle Kings, holds significance as one of Maharashtra’s crucial water bodies.
A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Satish Chandra Sharma acknowledged senior advocate Gopal Shankarnarayan’s submissions, emphasizing the need for an order of status quo to preserve the water body, citing the emergence of concrete structures at the lake.
Considering the scarcity of wetlands in the country, the bench instructed the authorities to temporarily halt ongoing construction activities and inquired about the timeline for the removal of concrete structures, including a viewers’ gallery at the lake.
Shankarnarayan pointed out that despite the Ministry of Environment and Forest designating the lake as a wetland, substantial concrete dumping had occurred, and construction activities, such as the installation of a steel fountain for beautification purposes, were underway. Additionally, he highlighted the conversion of 16,000 square feet of land along the lake into a viewers’ gallery.
The bench addressed the concerns raised by the NGO ‘Swaach Nagpur Abhiyaan,’ which argued that the Futala Lake, being a wetland, faced the risk of ecological and aquatic life destruction due to extensive construction.
The Supreme Court’s intervention aims to preserve the environmental integrity of Futala Lake, ensuring the protection of this vital water resource in Maharashtra.
