India, May 14 -- New Delhi

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) called for an independent third-party audit of the Najafgarh Jheel by the National Wetland Authority (NWA) of India to determine the size of the lake in Haryana, after the Haryana State Wetland Authority said in an affidavit that it identified 75 acres of the jheel to declare as a wetland.

The directions for the audit were issued by NGT chairperson justice Prakash Shrivastava on objections raised by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in February, questioning the figure and contending that the area under submergence was 2,048 acres in 2021.

In an order dated May 1, NGT said: "Learned Counsel for the applicant has submitted that the area of Najafga...