Are housing projects a threat to Sukhna,HC asks Haryana

A Division Bench comprising acting Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Augustine George Masih has asked the state to respond to the issue raised by Advocate Tanu Bedi,amicus curiae in a public interest litigation concerning the deteriorating condition of the lake. Bedi said construction by Tata Camelot,Bhoomi Greens,Suncity developers and DLF near Sukhna would pose a threat to its catchment area.

“The Chandigarh Administration and the states of Haryana and Punjab are turning a blind eye to housing schemes located very close to the lake,” she said on Thursday. Such schemes will not only pose a threat to the fragile ecology of the lake but also result in excess use of groundwater,leading to a drop in its water level.

She requested the court to call for the records from the two states and the UT “for the reasons and manner in which such permission is being granted” and direct the states to stop granting permissions to such projects.

The core cause for the reducing water level in the lake is the partial breakdown of floodgates. “Though the problem is persisting,no effort has been made by the Administration to rectify the situation,” Bedi said.

Taking serious view of the matter,the Bench said: “The main issue that should be looked into by the court is the depletion of water level of Sukhna lake and try to devise the ways and means to restore the water level.”

A chief reason for the depletion could be largescale silting,as it appears from the affidavit of Superintending Engineer,Chandigarh,the court said.

“In the said affidavit,five steps have been enumerated to tackle the problem,” the court said. “Though a year has passed,the affidavit is not before the court. In fact,whether the aforesaid steps have been implemented have also not been placed before the court.” It ordered that necessary information in this regard be placed before it. The order said a continuous flow of water from catchment areas to the reservoir will go a long way towards ensuring the water level. Chandigarh and Haryana have been asked to ensure the same.

Senior Standing Counsel for the UT Administration,Sanjay Kaushal,said the Administration is committed to maintaining the glory and beauty of the lake.

Advocate Onkar Singh Batalvi,counsel for Central government,submitted that the damages to the lake have been caused due to lack of scientific planning,consolidated efforts and appropriate techniques to deal with siltation issues. The Centre blamed the Administration for coming up with “non holistic” plans and not submitting drawings required to assess the budget for maintenance of the lake.

Contending that the Administration is more concerned with cosmetic changes at the lake,the amicus curiae has submitted that “there is an urgent need to appoint a committee of experts to dig out the reason for the dropping of water level in the lake and to propose the possible solutions”. Bedi also demanded that UT and the states of Punjab and Haryana be asked to place on record the complete data of construction activities already undertaken or about to be undertaken in the catchment area and near the lake.