NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed concern over the deteriorating condition of Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh, as a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant remarked, “Aur kitna sukhaoge Sukhna Lake, ko?” (How much are you going to ruin Lake Sukhna).
The court passed these observations after hearing an interim application filed in the long-pending 1995 public interest litigation titled In Re: TN Godavarman Thirumulpad, which deals with forest conservation and environmental protection.
The Bench also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, flagged the alleged collusion between builder mafias, bureaucrats and political entities behind the lake’s gradual destruction.
During the hearing, CJI said illegal constructions had mushroomed around the lake’s catchment area due to “collusion and connivance with bureaucrats”.