Jaipur, May 29 -- After a rap from the Supreme Court, the Ajmer district administration has planned to develop two wetlands in the city spanning 22 hectares, as compensation for damaging the Anasagar lake ecosystem due to construction, officials familiar with the matter said. An official said that the administration has proposed Foysagar, now renamed Varun Sagar and Tabiji Lake as alternative wetland sites. During the hearing in the Supreme Court on May 16, the government submitted a project report made by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur for the development of the two sites. According to the NEERI report, the two wetland sites - Tabiji and Hathikhera near Varun Sagar) in Ajmer City Urbanisable Area - together span approximately 22 hectares, which is four times the spatial footprint. "The proposed wetlands are envisioned as ecologically viable substitutes that will deliver long term hydrological and biodiversity benefits to the region," the report stated. It recommended that the wetlands be developed with mapping the core (least disturbed area in a wetland ecosystem) and buffer and influence zones and identification of prohibited and regulated activities. The report stated key action points for developing the new wetlands including excavation and related civil works, planting of native species and monitoring of water and sediment quality along with biodiversity assessment for at least two seasons pre and post monsoon). The NEERI report stated that the activities for creation of wetlands will require 18 to 24 months for completion and to ensure long term sustainability of the wetlands. The matter dates back to 2023 when the Ajmer district administration created the Seven Wonders Park near the Anasagar lake under the Ajmer Smart City project. Environment activist Ashok Malik approached the National Green Tribunal against the project, claiming that it violated the buffer zone of Anasagar Lake and green belt master plan. The NGT ruled in September 2023 that the park violated the master plan and also encroached on the wetland and lakebed area of the Anasagar Lake. It said the construction was in violation of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 and the Wetlands (Conservation and Management Rules) 2017 and ordered demolition of the park along with other constructions around the lake like the Gandhi Smriti Udyan and the food court situated at Luv Kush Udyan. The state government challenged the verdict in the SC. During hearing of the case in March 2025, the apex court expressed the displeasure towards the government stance on the environmental matter and asked why the State of Rajasthan had failed to act on several orders and directions of the NGT. The SC also ordered the state government to demolish or shift the seven wonders structures and remove encroachments from the wetland and lake bed of Anasagar Lake. The court gave time September 17, 2025, to the government to remove these encroachments. The court also asked the government to submit a detailed proposal for wetland recreation. Following this, the government engaged NEERI scientists who visited Ajmer and assessed several sites for possible wetland creation. After feasibility studies, the scientists stated that Tabili and Hathikhera (Near Varun Sagar) were found most feasible for wetland development. However, Ashok Malik questioned the administration's decision to develop additional wetlands outside the periphery of the city. "The NEERI report proposing artificial wetlands as compensation for damage to Anasagar is not environmentally sound. Wetlands cannot be created in 1-2 years - they take decades to naturally evolve. The proposed sites at Tabiji and Hathikhera lie in peripheral rural areas, far from the urban core, and cannot replace the critical ecological and social role of AnaSagar-the city's only historic natural wetland," he said. He said proper restoration would entail reviving Anasagar lake and not shifting and creating dry, disconnected basins on the outskirts of the city. Meanwhile, Ajmer Development Authority deputy commissioner Suryakant Sharma said the administration has begun compliance with the SC order. "On ADA's part, we have given the NoC and done demarcation of boundaries of both sites. There are more than a dozen departments involved in this and work is going on as per the guidelines given to us by NEERI." Prof LK Sharma, head of the environmental science department at the Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, said: "The new wetlands can be developed as adjuncts to the original wetland. But if Anasagar is not restored then its ecosystem will be destroyed. The wetlands outside the city will not have any impact on Ajmer city."...