The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday issued notice to Jamshedpur Deputy Commissioner, directing him to take adequate steps to clean up Jubilee lake and submit a report within a week.
Taking a suo-motto cognizance of the report – ‘Obnoxious weeds choking picturesque Jubilee lake’ published in the May 7 edition of ‘The Pioneer’, a division bench comprising Chief Justice R Banumathi and Justice S Chandrashekhar also asked the Jamshedpur Utilities & Services Company ltd (JUSCO) and the State Pollution Control Board to take necessary action and submit report within a week.
“The court has taken a suo-motto cognizance of the report published in the Pioneer newspaper and calling the matter very serious, converted it into a PIl,” said Additional Advocate General Ajit Kumar. Raising concern over the issue, the court also sought immediate actions to be taken by the district administration, he added.The court also observed, it was evident from the report and the photograph, fishes are getting spoiled due to low oxygen level of the water in the pond, so the matter must be taken up immediately. “The court has directed the Deputy Commissioner, Jamshedpur Utilities & Services Company ltd (JUSCO) and the pollution Control Board to take necessary action and submit report within a week,” Kumar said.
The notices have been received by the concerned advocates, he said. The Pioneer in its report had raised the issue of unchecked growth of aquatic weeds, covering a major portion of Jubilee lake in Jamshedpur causing a serious threat to the aquatic life and the health of the people residing in the surrounding areas.The unwanted weeds in the lake give a safe haven for mosquitoes’ breeding posing a serious threat to the lives of fishes in the pond. Hundreds of fishes reportedly died in the recent months.
The deaths of fishes, according to the experts, were caused because of the decreasing oxygen level of the pond water apparently, caused due to dense vegetation of algae, toxic pollutants and sudden change of water due to evening showers. According to the JUSCO officials, fishes are dying due to toxic and polluted water entering into the water body from various inlets coming from outside sources. They however, assured that steps would be taken to clean the lake.
Despite the repeated demand of residents living in its surroundings to de-silt and make it deeper to facilitate storage of more water, no action has been taken so far in this regard. Jubilee lake, a sprawling 20 acres aquatic landmark, is located in Jubilee Park in Jamshedpur.