New Delhi: The Supreme Court has intervened in the ongoing construction activities at Futala Lake in Nagpur, directing the Maharashtra government and Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation to halt all work and maintain the status quo. This development follows a petition from the NGO Swaach Nagpur Abhiyaan, which expressed concerns about the ecological impact and harm to aquatic life caused by extensive construction along the lake's banks. The NGO also raised objections to the installation of a musical fountain and the construction of a viewer's gallery.

Despite Futala Lake being officially recognized as a wetland by the Ministry of Environment and Forest, the petition highlighted the dumping of over 7,000 tonnes of concrete in the lake and ongoing construction activities, including the installation of a steel fountain. The court emphasized the need to protect the limited wetlands remaining in the country, expressing dismay over the construction's impact on the ecological balance.

The court specifically instructed the NGO to investigate whether Futala Lake attracts migratory birds and to assess the potential impact of proposed sound and laser shows on these avian visitors. In response to the court's directive, the counsel for the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation argued against a status quo order, citing the temporary nature of the structures around the lake. However, the court was unswayed by this argument, reiterating the importance of preserving the country's few remaining wetlands. In a previous development, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court had disposed of a PIL related to Futala Lake filed by Swaach Nagpur Abhiyaan in November last year.

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