NK'S POST

NK SINGH MP Government has just passed the death sentence on Bhopal's Upper Lake. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has instructed officers to regularise all illegal colonies in the State. There are about 350 illegal colonies in Bhopal alone, quite a few in the Upper Lake's catchment area. Do we care? Do the vote-hungry politicians care?  I have my full sympathy with the bureaucracy which wants to work according to rules and environmental law.  The latest farmaan from mai-baap sarkar reminds me of the period eight years ago, when Bhopal fought tooth and nail to protect its environment.  I was editing HT's Bhopal edition then, and we had reported: Scrapping of Bhopal master plan NK SINGH The proposed development plan for the city of Bhopal has been finally shown its rightful place --- the dustbin. Bowing before powerful public opinion, the Madhya Pradesh Government has decided to scrap the plan for all practical purposes. B hopal developmen...

NK SINGH Babulal Gaur has emerged as a passionate saviour of his beloved Bhopal’s Upper Lake. The Urban Administration and Development Minister has declared in unambiguous terms that he was against any kind of construction on the periphery of the Lake. The draft Development Plan for Bhopal, released recently, has proposed constructions in several areas around the Lake. Under the plan green belt and no-construction zones have been replaced not only by low-density habitation but also full-fledged residential areas and commercial zones. Gaur is among the few ministers who feel the pulse of Bhopal. He has also threatened to roll on his famous bulldozer to remove all encroachments around the Lake. Apparently, he could sense the indignation of the citizens, whom he had invited earlier this week to discuss the status of the lakes in the city. It was not only the citizens who were alarmed about constructions around the lakes. Even the official presentation made by ...