The Supreme Court issued a directive to the Maharashtra government and its metro rail corporation, instructing them to cease all construction activities at the renowned Futala Lake in Nagpur. The lake, spanning over 60 acres and constructed by the Bhosle Kings, holds significant importance as one of Maharashtra's key water bodies.
Following submissions from senior advocate Gopal Shankarnarayan, who emphasized the urgency of preserving the lake, the bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Satish Chandra Sharma, ordered a status quo on ongoing construction. Concrete structures had already been erected at the lake, prompting concerns about its environmental impact.
Given the scarcity of wetlands nationwide, the bench urged authorities to halt construction temporarily and demanded a timeline for the removal of concrete structures, including a proposed viewers' gallery and steel fountain in the lake's center.
Shankarnarayan said that despite the Ministry of Environment and Forest declaring the lake a wetland, more than 7,000 tonnes of concrete had been dumped in the tank and construction work for a steel fountain in the middle of the lake was being done in the name of beautification of the place.
He also said 16,000 square feet of land along the lake was being converted into a viewer’s gallery. The bench was hearing the plea of NGO ‘Swaach Nagpur Abhiyaan’.