The Bombay High Court on Monday directed the Maharashtra government to file a reply to a public interest litigation that has challenged the construction of a cycle track at Powai lake in the city by claiming such construction was in breach of Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules.

A vacation bench led by Justice SJ Kathawala directed the state to submit its reply affidavit to the PIL, filed by IIT Bombay PhD students Omkar Supekar and Abhishek Tripathi, and in the interim, stayed the construction work on the cycle track till November 18.