Agra, March 19: The registrar of an engineering college on the Delhi-Agra highway was Monday sent to jail by an Uttar Pradesh court here for polluting a lake, a wildlife department official said.
Agra Judicial Magistrate Sunita Nagore punished Dinesh Saxena, registrar of Anand Engineering College, for illegally operating the college after it was sealed by the wildlife department for discharging waste into the Soor Sarovar bird sanctuary, around 20 km from Taj city.
The college was also charged with installing high mast lights that disturbed the birds and building structures without permission from appropriate authority. It was sealed in October 2012 but later classes were allowed to be run for the session.
Deputy Wildlife Conservator Sujoy Banerjee told IANS: "We had sent notices and warned the college management time and again but they failed to act on the promises. The court has now jailed Dinesh Saxena, registrar of the college."
The eco-sensitive zone around the lake attracts thousands of migratory birds.
The wild life department has also sent notices to the Mathura Oil Refinery for polluting the water reserves. The refinery has its pumping station at the site that draws water for industrial use.
The British-era lake, the largest in Uttar Pradesh, acts as an emergency water reservoir for the Taj city. It was later notified as a bird sanctuary.
