Jodhpur, Nov. 14 -- The Rajasthan High Court directed the state government to get all the proposals from district-level lake committees for the conservation and management of lakes in the respective districts by December 5, and to formulate an action plan on the basis of the same within 10 days. The court also directed the state to ensure that the catchment areas of these lakes are not encroached upon, and if they are, stern action must be taken against the encroachers. During the hearing of a suo motu registered public interest litigation in the division bench of Justice Vinit Kumar Mathur and Justice Bipin Gupta, a compliance report was submitted by the state government. According to the report, after the promulgation of the Rajasthan Lake Protection and Development Authority Act, 2015, nine lakes in the State of Rajasthan have been notified, specifying the lake boundaries as per Sections 4 and 5 of the Act. A publication to that effect has been made in the Official Gazette. The bench noted: "It has further been stated in the compliance report that the Rajasthan Lake Protection and Development Authority has also been constituted, and it has summoned proposals from all the District Level Lake Committees for protection and other recommendations regarding the management of lakes in each district. In pursuance of this, some of the proposals from the District Level Lake Committees have been received, but most of the committees have been asked to furnish their proposals at the earliest." Counsel appearing for the state said that once these proposals are received by the Rajasthan Lake Protection and Development Authority, they will be processed and necessary directions will be issued for the protection and preservation of the lakes in each district. He further said that the entire exercise shall be completed at the earliest and the proposals received will be scrutinized and examined. Accordingly, necessary directions will be issued for the protection and preservation of lakes in each district. "In view of the submissions made before this Court, the State Government is directed to get all the proposals from the District Lake Committees latest by December 5, 2025, and formulate an action plan on the basis of the same within 10 days. Thereafter, the action plan shall be produced before this Court on the next date of hearing, along with the suggestions and guidelines for the protection, preservation, and upkeep of the lakes in the State of Rajasthan. The State Government shall ensure that the catchment areas of these lakes are not encroached upon, and if they are, stern action may be taken against the encroachers. The State Government shall also produce the action plan for the removal of encroachments over the catchment areas of these lakes," the bench said. The bench further ordered: "It is made clear that if the proper action plan is not produced before this Court on the next date of hearing, then appropriate action will be taken against the concerned officials."...