The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court was informed by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) that it has requested the Maharashtra Remote Sensing Applications Centre (MRSAC) for measurement of the Naag River. This step follows the HC’s directive to submit data on the river’s width before 2000, a record the NMC does not possess. In an affidavit submitted to the court on July 18, the Corporation detailed its efforts and stated that the application to the Centre had been sent as per the court’s order. The hearing, presided over by Justice Nitin Sambre and Justice Abhay Mantri, also saw State Advocate General Dr Birendra Saraf present on-line.

 

He requested time to review the affidavits, which was granted by the High Court. The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday. It may be mentioned that in the wake of last year’s Ambazari lake flood, flood victims filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). During proceedings, the NMC, Nagpur Improvement Trust, and Irrigation Department provided data on Ambazari Lake and Naag River. NMC admitted it lacks an expert body to study the dam. Technical details on Ambazari Lake and Swami Vivekananda statue were also submitted by the NMC in their affidavit. Meanwhile, NIT, in their affidavit, claimed Naag River’s average width, as per the development plan spanning 1976 to 2001, remains consistent at 11 meters near Krazzy Kastle. Various maps and graphs were presented to support the claim. The Irrigation Department contributed technical information on Ambazari Lake and its spillway and noted Naag River’s width between 9 and 12 meters from Ambazari Bridge to Krazzy Kastle.