HC orders to stop desilting of Shakkar Bawdi

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad, June 15:

The Aurangabad Bench of Bombay High Court comprising Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Anil Pansare today issued an interim order directing the administration concerned to stop the ongoing desilting works in Shakkar Bawdi, on Himayat Baugh campus, till the fresh order. The next hearing on the case will be held on July 4.

To overcome the scarcity of water in the city, the revenue administration ordered to acquire three wells, apart from Shakkar Bawdi, and lift water from them through the laying of pipeline to the Rauza Baugh settling plant. Adv Sandesh Hange challenged the decision stating that the action of the administration will pose threat to the biodiversity of the heritage garden. He also brought to the notice of the bench that the High Court, in its verdict on February 23, 2022, has issued an order to the administration concern to initiate steps to declare Himayat Baugh as a biodiversity-rich heritage garden and submit the report in this regard in four weeks to the court.

The petitioner continued, “On May 25, the additional tehsildar Vijay Chavan issued an order to acquire Shakkar Bawdi and three other wells including Mosambi Bawdi. Out of which, the work of removing silt from Shakkar Bawdi started on Tuesday.

Himayat Baugh is home to 813 heritage trees of 50 to 400 years old. There are 30 wells on the sprawling campus. Some of them got closed and some of them had been acquired. Moreover, the administration has started taking measures regarding the water after starting of the rainfall. If the water is lifted from the wells it would pose threat to the flora and fauna of the garden. The lives of these heritage trees and 150 types of birds, and animals and their bio-diversity would be in danger. The garden will get dried up for want of water. If the wells get dried up the biodiversity of the garden will also come under threat.

The petitioner also pointed out that the additional collector has not mentioned the reason for acquiring the four wells in his order. The matter in this regard is under the purview of the Central and the State governments. The petitioner also urged to ensure that no machinery comes in the vicinity of the heritage garden.

Adv Ajay Talhar represented the Central Government; Adv Atul R Kale on behalf of the State Government; Adv Satyajit Bora represented the VNMAU (agriculture university) and veteran legal expert Rajendra Deshmukh voiced on behalf of the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).