Background: Rabindra Sarobar, the Kolkata lake at the centre of the National Green Tribunal's Chhath ban

Background

Rabindra Sarobar is back in the news after West Bengal minister Agnimitra Paul said the State may allow Chhath Puja at the lake. The 73-acre lake in south Kolkata is one of the city's biggest freshwater bodies and is called the lungs of the city. Migratory birds visit its lake and green park in winter. The National Green Tribunal barred Chhath rituals there to protect the lake's ecology, and the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court upheld the order. The lake is covered by a national conservation plan that funds its protection. Environmentalists say offerings, immersion material and crowds harm the water body.