The Supreme Court has stayed any kind of construction near Futala Lake in Nagpur. The Apex Court has directed the Maharashtra Government and the Metro Rail Corporation to refrain from undertaking any construction work.
The direction was issued because of a petition filed by an NGO Swaach Nagpur Abhiyan. The petitioner claimed that Futala Lake was a wetland and the large-scale construction work on the banks of the lake had the effect of destroying the ecosystem and aquatic life in Futala Lake.
The NGO also raised the issue of the installation of a musical fountain and associated machinery inside the lake and objected to the construction of a viewers’ gallery on the banks of the lake.
Senior Advocate Gopal Shankarnarayan represented the NGO. He argued that construction was undertaken in the lake using 7000 tonnes of concrete and a steel fountain in the middle of the lake was placed. About 16000 sq ft of land was converted into the viewers’ gallery.
A bench of Chief Justice Dr D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala and S C Sharma asked the BGO to find out if the wetland attracted migratory birds and if the proposed sound and maser show would impact the arrival of the birds.
The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court had disposed of the petition by the NGO in November last.