Green threat: Delhi HC scraps realty project by Sukhna lake

Green threat(ख़तरा): Delhi HC scraps realty project by Sukhna lake

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court scrapped on Wednesday a proposed Rs 1,275 crore residential project in Chandigarh on the grounds that it fell within the sensitive(संवेदनशील) catchment area of the Sukhna lake. The project is promoted by the Tata Housing Development Company. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw said the permission(अनुमति) granted to the project by the panchayat of a Sukhna village, and endorsed(समर्थन किया)  by the Punjab government, had to be set aside.

The court also set aside environmental clearances for the project, holding that they were not in "conformity with the mandatory requirements of the ministry of environment and forests".

The ruling came on a PIL filed by advocate Aalok Jagga alleging that the project was against law and would disturb ecological balance as well as the migration of birds to the lake. Since its location fell near the Sukhna wildlife sanctuary, he alleged, the project would also cause degradation of animal habitats.

The HC directed the Punjab government to reconsider the matter in view of its judgment, adding that if the review favoured the project, the company may seek environmental clearance from the Centre under 'category A' (projects within 10km of a protected wildlife sanctuary).

About Sukhna Lake

Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh, India, is a reservoir(जलाशय) at the foothills (Shivalik hills) of the Himalayas. This 3 km² rainfed lake was created in 1958 by damming the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream coming down from the Shivalik Hills. Originally the seasonal flow entered the lake directly causing heavy siltation(रेग से अवस्र्द्ध हो जाना). To check the inflow of silt, 25.42 km² of land was acquired in the catchment area and put under vegetation. In 1974, the Choe was diverted and made to bypass the lake completely, the lake being fed by three siltation pots, minimising the entry of silt into the lake itself