New Delhi, March 14 (IANS) The Supreme Court has sought a comprehensive status report on illegal constructions and encroachments along the banks and floodplains of the Ganga across multiple states, while issuing notices to several Ganga basin states to assist the apex court in addressing the issue.  A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan directed the Union government, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and states through which the river flows to place before it a detailed report on the present status of encroachments and the steps taken to remove them. The Justice Pardiwala-led Bench was hearing an appeal filed by Ashok Kumar Sinha challenging a 2020 order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) dismissing his plea alleging encroachments on the floodplains of the Ganga in Patna. 

During the hearing, advocate Akash Vashishtha, appearing for the petitioner, informed the top court that 213 encroachments were identified in 2023 along the stretch between Digha Ghat and Nauzar Ghat in Patna, out of which 58 have been demolished, while 145 structures remain, partly due to interim orders passed by several courts. Noting concerns about widespread encroachments, the apex court observed that the issue was not confined to Bihar and required a broader examination across all Ganga basin states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and the National Capital Territory of Delhi. “We would like to have a comprehensive detailed report highlighting the current status insofar as encroachments are concerned in all the states from where river Ganga is flowing or passing through,” the Justice Pardiwala-led Bench said in its order. 

The top court also asked the authorities to clarify the measures taken to implement the 2016 notification issued under the Environment (Protection) Act for rejuvenation, protection and management of the Ganga. Among other details, the Justice Pardiwala-led Bench sought information on steps taken to implement the provisions of the notification, hurdles faced by authorities in its enforcement, and the measures proposed to ensure that riverbanks and floodplains remain free from encroachments. “What steps the Authority intends to take to protect the river Ganga passing through all the states and ensure that the river plains and banks are free of all encroachments,” the order stated. The matter has been posted for further hearing on April 23, 2026, and will continue to be treated as part-heard.

 /IANS