Mayapuri lake is a water body,revival likely: Govt

In a meeting on the ‘revival of water bodies’ chaired by the Chief Secretary earlier this month,the PWD said “the Chief Secretary has directed that action may be initiated for the revival of the water body at Naraina”.

The issue involves two disputed water bodies in the city — the Mayapuri lake and the Jahangirpuri marshland. Based on environmentalist Vinod Kumar Jain’s application,the court had,earlier this year,asked the government to submit a report on the two water bodies.

Referring to High Court’s order in 2007 for revival of various lakes and ponds in Delhi,Jain had filed a contempt case against the government.

“The government has accepted in court that the Mayapuri Lake would be revived as per the nine-point charter set down by the Chief Secretary. The Irrigation department has said that work on 154 water bodies has already been completed; work on 38 water bodies would be finished by December,while work on 62 more would be finished by March 2010,” VK Jain told Newsline.

Of the 81 water bodies owned by the Delhi Development Authority,work on 58 water bodies has been completed.

The case pertaining to the Jahangirpuri marshland could not be heard on Wednesday. It has been decided that the Delhi government would now present its report on it on December 16.