MUMBAI, June 17 -- The Bombay high court on Monday directed the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) to take steps to clean the Israel Lake next to the Jewish cemetery in Panvel. A division-bench of chief justice Alok Aradhe and justice Sandeep Marne gave this direction while listening to a plea by Jewish Heritage Trust, which had earlier alleged contamination of the lake due to sewage flow from surrounding encroachments. "You are under statutory obligation to take steps for ensuring cleanliness. You cannot shy away from that," the court said. The case pertains to a petition filed by the Jewish Heritage Trust, alleging illegal trespass and encroachment on land reserved for the Jewish community's burial rituals. The high court had earlier censured the PMC for its apathetic response to encroachments on a 200-year-old Jewish cemetery. The Trust had claimed that the holy lake was being misused by encroachers for discharging drainage waste, and that an illegal slaughterhouse was operating within the encroached area. Also, the graves in the cemetery have reportedly been destroyed to facilitate the constructions. The Jewish Heritage Trust, through trustee Raymond Gadkar, stated that repeated complaints to the PMC since 2019 have gone unanswered. The Trust sought directives from the court to compel the PMC to act against the encroachments to prevent further damage. The high court has now directed the local body to survey the area and determine the extent of encroachment after listening to all stakeholders....