NGT plea over unchecked encroachments at Upper Lake: BMC seeks time to reply

Time of India

a day ago

Bhopal: In a petition alleging rampant encroachments in the periphery of the Upper Lake and the Lower Lake in Bhopal (both part of Ramsar site), where any kind of permanent construction is legally banned, the counsel for BMC sought some more time to file a response before a National Green Tribunal bench.
Following hearing of the case recently, the Bhopal-based central bench of NGT comprising judicial member Sheo Kumar Singh and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad in a brief order said "Counsel for the BMC has sought a short time to file response. Affidavit on behalf of MoEF&CC, reply by MPPCB and CPCB are on record. Rest of the respondents are directed to submit a reply within 3 weeks", while listing the case for next hearing on Oct 7, 2025.
Environmental activist Rashid Noor Khan in his petition said that the Bhoj Wetland, designated as a Ramsar site in 2002, consists of the Upper Lake and the Lower Lake, both man-made reservoirs of immense ecological and historical significance.
The Upper Lake is also a vital source of drinking water as well and plays an essential role in flood control, climate regulation, and carbon sequestration.
However, despite its protected status, the Bhoj Wetland is under constant threat due to illegal activities carried out by private entities and govt authorities, the petition alleged in the case.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
TV providers are furious: this gadget gives you access to all channels
Techno Mag
Learn More
Undo
These activities include the construction of permanent structures, resorts, industrial and concrete mixture plants, fly ash block plants; illegal cutting of plots in agriculture land and developing housing societies, the indiscriminate dumping of waste; the direct discharge of untreated sewage into the wetland; unauthorised landfilling; and road construction within the Full Tank Level (FTL) and its Zone of Influence.
These activities obstruct natural water flow, alter hydrology, and severely disrupt the ecosystem.
Additionally, trees planted as part of conservation efforts to protect the wetland are being illegally cut down, further jeopardizing its ecological balance.
Counsel for the petitioner, Harshwardhan Tiwari, emphasised the urgent need for judicial intervention to safeguard the Bhoj Wetland, a national and international heritage, from further degradation and to uphold India's commitment to environmental conservation under both domestic and international frameworks.
In its order on the petition on May 2, 2025, the tribunal had directed the petitioner to provide specific details of violators and instances of encroachments.
In a reply filed subsequent to order, counsel for the petitioner Harshwardhan Tiwari, while giving several specific instances of encroachments in Bhoj Wetland's zone of influence, however, said that it was not possible for a private individual to get all the information regarding illegal constructions and encroachments in the periphery of Bhoj Wetland, and the state and the central authorities responsible to protect the wetland must be enlisted for the job, including: the collector, Bhopal, BMC, MP Wetland Authority, Town & Country Planning, MPPCB, CPCB and MOEF & CC.
The tribunal is yet to decide on the issue in the case.
Stay updated with the latest local news from your
city
on
Times of India
(TOI). Check upcoming
bank holidays
,
public holidays
, and current
gold rates
and
silver prices
in your area.