Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Central Zonal Bench, Bhopal, on Thursday directed the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) to conduct a site inspection, investigate the illegal and environmentally harmful activities, and submit a compliance report after taking necessary action.
The Tribunal also constituted a joint inspection committee comprising representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Regional Office (Bhopal), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Wetland Authority/EPCO and the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board.
The committee has been directed to conduct a site inspection and submit a factual report, along with an action taken report, within four weeks. The next hearing has been scheduled for July 15, 2026.
The NGT observed that the photographs and documents submitted prima facie indicated serious environmental violations, necessitating immediate intervention by the agencies concerned.
Advocate Harshwardhan Tiwari, appearing on behalf of the applicant, Rashid Noor Khan, said issues were raised concerning illegal construction, encroachment, illegal land filling, destruction of trees and violations of environmental norms within the Full Tank Level (FTL), buffer zone and impact zone of the Bhoj Wetland (Lower Lake), Bhopal, a notified Ramsar site of international importance.
The application also alleged that in the Professor Colony Road area and its vicinity, holes were drilled into large trees using machinery and chemical substances were injected into them. This appeared to be an attempt to gradually wither and destroy the trees, seemingly as a preparatory step for potential illegal construction and land encroachment, Tiwari said.
Additional photographs and documents submitted on record revealed that untreated sewage water was being illegally discharged directly into the Bhoj Wetland and Lower Lake area, causing severe pollution.
At several locations, foul and untreated sewage water was being discharged directly into the lake through drains and pipes, adversely impacting water quality, aquatic biodiversity and public health.
The photographs also showed large quantities of garbage, plastic waste, filth and sewage-laden water along the lake s banks, indicating serious violations of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
