India, Jan. 22 -- "Aur kitna sukhaoge Sukhna lake ko (How much more will you allow Sukhna lake to dry up)," Chief Justice of India Surya Kant remarked on Wednesday while expressing concern over the drying up of Chandigarh's iconic lake as a result of collusion between builder mafias and bureaucrats.

A bench of the CJI and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi was hearing interim applications filed in the pending 1995 PIL titled 'In Re: TN Godavarman Thirumulpad'.

"Aur kitna sukhaoge Sukhna lake ko? There are illegal constructions in collusion and connivance with bureaucrats, backed by political entities in Punjab, resulting in the complete destruction of the lake. All builder mafias are operating there," CJI Kant observed orally...