COUNSELS FOR MP State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC), Lake Conservation Authority (LCA) and MP Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) today sought more time in the court to file reply against the petition seeking ban on cruise operation in the Upper Lake.
A local NGO — Jan Sanjeevani Jagriti Manch — has filed a petition in the court of civil judge D K Singh seeking an injunction on cruise operation in the Upper Lake. Petitioners Ashok Malpani and Keshav Baldua sought a ban on cruise operation citing Bhopal Action Plan 2005, which clearly stated that no recreational activities would be allowed in the Upper Lake.
But, the MPSTDC, flouting this norm, floated a cruise in the lake purely driven by commercial considerations. The LCA and MPPCB have also been made a party in the case for allowing cruise operation in the Upper Lake disregarding their legal duty, the petition said. The court allowed the respondents time till February 7 to file their respective reply in the matter.