Supreme Court seeks nationwide report on encroachments along Ganga banks

The Supreme Court of India has directed the Centre and several states to submit a comprehensive report on illegal constructions and encroachments along the banks and floodplains of the Ganges River, expressing concern over the scale of the problem across the river basin.

A bench comprising Justice J. B. Pardiwala and Justice K. V. Viswanathan asked the Union government, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and states through which the river flows to place before it a detailed account of existing encroachments and the steps taken to remove them.

The bench issued notices to several Ganga basin states and said the issue required a broader examination beyond individual cases.

The court was hearing an appeal filed by Ashok Kumar Sinha challenging a 2020 order of the National Green Tribunal that dismissed his petition alleging encroachments on the Ganga’s floodplains in Patna.

During the hearing, advocate Akash Vashishtha, representing the petitioner, informed the court that 213 encroachments had been identified in 2023 along the stretch between Digha Ghat and Nauzar Ghat in Patna. Of these, 58 structures have been demolished, while 145 remain, partly due to interim orders from various courts.

The bench observed that encroachments along the river were not limited to Bihar and required examination across all states through which the Ganga flows, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Haryana, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, as well as 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 the river Ganga is flowing or passing through,” the bench said in its order.

The court also asked authorities to explain steps taken to implement a 2016 notification issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 aimed at the rejuvenation, protection and management of the Ganga.

In addition, the bench sought details on the challenges faced in enforcing the notification and the measures planned to ensure that riverbanks and floodplains remain free from encroachments.

The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on 23 April 2026 and will continue to be treated as part-heard.

With IANS inputs