Commenting that human beings were the “biggest enemy” of the environment and monuments, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Chief secretary to convene a high level meeting to consider steps to be taken to deal with the 2km long “toxic” water body created due to sewage at Tughlakabad Fort area. A PIL had been filed earlier this year alleging that a 2 km long and 300 mts wide ‘artificial lake’ had been created due to effluent discharge in Tughlakabad. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) in its affidavit has admitted that the waterlogging was because of lack of a sewerage system in the area. The court of Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed and Justice IS Mehta pulled up the DJB and other agencies, after it was informed that no remedial measures to tackle the problem of the accumulated water had come out from the meeting convened by the DPCC. The affidavit submitted by the DPCC also stated that the DDA was utilising the effluents for ‘greening and horticultural purposes”. The Jal board also came under fire from the court after the counsel claimed that a sewage treatment plant could not be set up in the area, and blamed other agencies for the effluent discharge. The DPCC report also sated that the DJB had claimed that it was “not in position to provide a sewage treatment plant in the area” as there was no land available. The counsel for the Jal board told the court that the land was under authority of the MCD and the DDA. The court in its order has now noted that the issue required a “high level consideration”. The ASI, represented by Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, was also asked to give its suggestions, as the water body is near the Tughlakabad fort. “We are destroying the environment and the monuments. We could have minted money by tourism alone but we are not maintaining the monuments” observed the court during arguments. The Chief secretary Delhi has now been directed to call a meeting with the DJB, DDA, ASI, DPCC and all concerned authorities to chalk out a proposal to deal with the accumulated water within three weeks. The court has directed the Chief secretary to file a report on the proposal within 5 weeks, and fixed the case for hearing in February.