Over the past many years, the Gulshan-Banani lake has been subjected to assaults from various vested interests, the upshot of which is that today the lake is but a shadow of its former self. One could argue that the image we have at this point of the Gulshan-Banani lake is similar to what we have lately had about other places --- lakes, rivers, et cetera --- all across the country but especially in the capital. The seriousness of such predatory human action has now led to a situation where the judiciary has had to intervene in the matter of retrieving lakes like the one we speak of.
In the matter of the Gulshan-Banani lake, the High Court has given the government three months from December 9 to implement its directives. We are concerned here over not implementing these as yet on two points. In the first place, we do not quite understand why a copy of the HC judgment, delivered in May, has not yet reached the authorities. In the second, one fails to understand why the government must wait for such a copy when the verdict has already been announced. On its own and in the public interest, the government should have moved straight into the business of acting against those who have been encroaching on the lake for a very long period now. The matter is of particular importance since the High Court has declared the lake to be an environmentally critical area. And the minister of state for environment and forests has informed us that the government is bound to comply with the High Court verdict. Of course it is. But when can we see a translation of that verdict into reality? This question becomes extremely crucial considering that there are canals and other water bodies which have of late fallen prey again to encroachers owing to the inability or reluctance or both of the authorities to assert themselves in the matter of reclaiming public property.
The High Court has directed the government to form a committee comprising representatives from different departments and public interest organizations to monitor compliance with its judgement. We expect the government to move speedily into the business of forming the committee and seeing it get down to business. Let the Gulshan-Banani lake be a test case for the authorities. If this lake can be saved, all the other endangered canals, lakes, et cetera, can be seized back from those who have commandeered them over the years.