Delhi govt issued notice over lake's disappearance

Within a span of six years, the status of a prominent water body in the national capital has curiously changed from a "wet" and "clean lake" to "does not exist" in the revenue records of the Delhi Government.

Within a span of six years, the status of a prominent water body in the national capital has curiously changed from a "wet" and "clean lake" to "does not exist" in the revenue records of the Delhi Government.

HT Image

This "status change" of the natural reservoir in Mayapuri has prompted the Delhi High Court to issue a notice to the state government and sought its reply on a petition filed by an NGO Tapas which alleged that the 18,000 sq mt area rich in aquifers is on the verge of the deathbed.

After owning the lake till 2003, the Public Works Department (PWD) of the Delhi government in an RTI reply in September last year denied the existence of the lake and said that the water body was never under its jurisdiction.

"Local MLA Karan Singh Tanwar has said that as per the land records received from SDM (Delhi Cantt) and Patwari of that area in July 2007, it is informed that this was not a water body," PWD said, a contention which is being challenged by Vinod Jain through his NGO Tapas in the court.