MahaMetro clears Futala lake’s tributary stream

NAGPUR: Finally, MahaMetro has restored one of the major tributary seasonal streams of Futala lake situated along Vayu Sena road. The stream which stretches from entrance gate of Satpuda Botanical Garden to a culvert has been cleared of debris and mud which was dumped into it.
The stream has also been deepened which would help in free flow of rainwater from the two hillocks into the lake. Moreover, the MahaMetro has also demarcated the proposed walkway from the garden’s entrance gate to the water body. The walkway will be developed between the stream and the road.
It also plans is to develop parking space inside the garden and visitors will have to walk up to lake to watch the musical fountain show.
Alerted by green crusader Shrikant Deshpande, TOI had reported on February 24 about MahaMetro dumping debris and mud into the stream, situated between the road and compound wall of the garden, to reclaim the land.
The work was undertaken without any scientific study and obtaining permission from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and state’s public works department (PWD). A PIL related to controversial structures developed in and around the water body is also pending in the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court.
Though MahaMetro has been named as one of the respondents, yet it had undertaken the work in contravention of Wetlands (conservation and management) Rules- 2010 as Futala lake is listed in the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment and mapped as wetland in the National Wetland Atlas- Maharashtra.
Realizing its mistake, MahaMetro stopped filling the remaining stretch of the stream with debris. Now, the stream has been restored to its earlier condition.
While executing the work, MahaMetro had damaged road asphalted by the NMC only a few days ago and also the safety barricades erected along it. Following TOI’s reports, MahaMetro had assured to repair the road and erect new safety barricading.