The Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench was on Thursday informed that 4.6 hectares of land have been earmarked in Bakshi Ka Talab for the proposed water treatment plant in the city. The court directed the authorities to submit a detailed progress report on the project by October 15.
The update was provided by District Magistrate Vishak G, who appeared before the division bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manish Kumar through video conferencing in compliance with an earlier order. He apprised the court that 4.597 hectares of land in Nagwamau village, Bakshi Ka Talab, have been allocated for the project, and since the land falls outside municipal corporation limits, no No Objection Certificate (NOC) is required.
During the proceedings, Jal Nigam Managing Director Ramakant Pandey told the bench that the project now awaits examination of technical aspects by the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Irrigation Department.
Taking note of this, the bench ordered that the CWC and the Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department be made parties to the petition. It further directed that the Principal Secretary of Urban Development also be impleaded in the case and required to file an affidavit regarding the project’s progress.
The order came during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Utkarsh Seva Sansthan in 2016 seeking effective measures for improving Lucknow’s water supply infrastructure.
The matter will next be heard on October 15, when the authorities are expected to present their detailed progress report.
