Nagpur: The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) Western Regional Bench has issued a stern warning to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), holding it directly responsible for the cleanliness and maintenance of the iconic Futala Lake. The tribunal made it clear that negligence in upkeep will invite punitive action.
While Futala’s beautification work was handed over to the Nagpur Improvement Trust and the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation, a public interest litigation filed in 2023 by the NGO Swachh Association raised concerns about the project. On November 30, 2023, the High Court directed both Metro and NMC to ensure the preservation of the lake.
Challenging this, the NGO filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court. On February 12, 2024, the apex court ordered that the project remain “as is” and barred any new construction. Since then, the entire area has remained closed. After the final hearing on August 18, 2025, the Supreme Court reserved its judgment.
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27 Sept 2025
During the ongoing proceedings, NMC filed an affidavit claiming that the responsibility for lake maintenance lay with the Public Works Department (PWD). The NGT sharply criticized this statement and demanded an explanation from the corporation. The tribunal also asked NMC to provide a detailed account of the steps taken so far to maintain cleanliness at Futala.
Additionally, the NGT has directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), and NMC to form a joint committee. The committee must inspect the lake within a month and submit a comprehensive report on its cleaning and preservation to the tribunal.
