With the problem of smart city behind us, we will have to concentrate on
other vital issues of citizens. However, we cannot consider ourselves
absolutely free from the problems that may crop up at the new site of the smart
city. Here, too, there are reported to be more than a thousand trees. These
cannot be allowed to be cut down unless absolutely necessary, with emphasis on “absolutely”.
People will have to see how many of them can be saved. If I recall, there are
trees that are huge and, apparently, pretty old. These cannot be sacrificed at
the altar of the smart city. Perhaps, another battle in this regard is awaiting
us; the powder has to be kept dry.
One major nagging issue of concern is the Upper Lake and its proper upkeep.
The custodian of the Upper Lake, Bhopal Municipal Corporation has been rather
self-willed and, shall we say, mischievous. Despite the orders of the National
Green Tribunal it has been tinkering with the Khanugaon-side shore of the Lake.
I have myself had occasion to see a wall being erected and some digging along
the length of what is known as the View Point. It will be recalled that the
Corporation had formulated plans to construct a pedestrian and a cycle track
next to the Lake. The Green Tribunal ordered stoppage of the construction. But the Corporation seems to have been
carrying on its activities without let or hindrance, unseen and unchecked by
anybody. It is nothing but a mischievous activity.
Besides, the other day the People’s Samachar reported that the
Corporation itself is polluting the Lake. It reported that the toilet
facilities provided by it at the Boat Club empties its wastes directly into the
Lake. This toilet was built because of the absence of one at a place where
thousands congregate. A noble idea, but one cannot put up with the toilet
emptying itself into the Lake. The question is whether permission of NGT was
obtained before construction. And, surprisingly it never occurred to the cell
in the Corporation dealing with conservation of the Lake to put its foot down
on the proposal.
Thus the Corporation has added another drain to the nine that are
emptying into the lake. There is no movement in the Corporation to divert the
drains to the sewage recycling plants but it is ever keen to initiate
construction work on and around the Lake front. The employees are so greedy; any
civil work fetches them some extra (ill-gotten) money. The newspaper report mentions the findings of the
Central Pollution Control Board in which it seems to have been stated that
around 24 crore 50 lakh litres of sewage go into the Lake without being
treated. Apparently only 40 mld can be treated every day and the rest amounting
to 285 mld are getting into the Lake.
The paper reports that under the Bhoj Wetland project four sewage
treatment plants were established out of which only one is functional. The rest
of the three plants discharge sewage into the Lake without being treated. No
proposal to set right the non-functional treatment plants has ever been
reported. This is nothing but playing around with the health and well-being of
the people who consume the water supplied from the Lake. I had once suggested
at the Bhopal Citizens’ Forum meeting that the Corporation should not be
allowed to carry out any new civil work, unless specifically asked to by NGT or
the government, in and around the Lake until it plans and works to stop flow of
sewage into it. Perhaps our representative could put the suggestion across to
the NGT at the time of the next hearing in connection with the upkeep of the
Lake.
The other water bodies too in the
city are suffering because of the neglect of the municipal body. Several drains
empty sewage into even in the Lower Lake. Having failed to stop their flow into
the Lake for years on end the Corporation built a laser auditorium on its bank
and when it proved to be a loss making proposition it promptly thought of shifting
the whole thing to the Boat Club. Curiously, there is no check in the
Corporation on its imprudent expenditure and it thus freely wastes public
money.
I recall once an ex- municipal commissioner of Bhopal had described the
Shahpura Lake as a septic tank. That was years ago and there has hardly been
any change in its status since then. It continues to be saturated with sewage.
Under the NGT”S directions some measures were taken but all that seems to have
lost steam. Now even the Motia Talab seems to have been getting sewage from a
source that was not revealed in the news report.
The bare fact is that though the government, the Corporation and all and
sundry keep shouting about the lakes that are supposedly the city’s identity
they are all, in fact, sewage pits – some big and some small. Shamelessly, they
are inviting people to “the City of lakes” which , in fact, is a city of filthy
lakes. This has to change and Bhopal Citizens’ Forum can have this change effected.
*Photo from internet
No comments:
Post a Comment