NGT cracks down on Upper Lake encroachments:Civic body gets three-week deadline to remove trespassers

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken a stern view of growing encroachments around the Upper Lake area in Bhopal. During Wednesday’s hearing, the tribunal observed that illegal resorts, dumping of waste and land grabs are altering the wetland’s natural structure. It noted that despite repeated directions, the municipal corporation has failed to take concrete action. The report submitted by the civic body was also found unsatisfactory. Expressing displeasure, the tribunal granted the corporation a three-week deadline to file an Action Taken Report (ATR), warning of strict action in case of further delay. During the hearing before the Central Regional Bench, advocate Harshvardhan Tiwari, appearing for petitioner Rashid Noor Khan, said action was taken only against encroachment cases post 16 March 2022. He argued that this was a clear violation of the Wetland Rules, 2017. Permanent illegal constructions are coming up in the protected zone, uncontrolled dumping of waste is continuing, and land filling is obstructing the natural flow of water, he told the tribunal. Civic body misses 28 Feb deadline At a meeting chaired by the Collector and MP on 24 February, it was decided that encroachments around Upper Lake would be removed by 28 February. Following this, a demarcation exercise was carried out and 347 encroachments were identified. However, after action against a few structures, the matter got stuck in notices and hearings, with no significant progress on the ground. NGT rejects civic body’s defence During the hearing, a list prepared on the basis of the MP Kisan App and the MP Bhulekh portal was submitted before the tribunal. Using khasra numbers and precise locations, the list detailed where encroachments had taken place inside the prohibited buffer zone. In response, the municipal corporation argued that removal of encroachments is a continuous process and that in some cases, court stay orders have been granted. The tribunal, however, rejected the argument as inadequate. It observed that Upper Lake is the main source of drinking water for more than 1.2 million people and is also a major biodiversity hub. Against that backdrop, failure to enforce lake conservation rules is a matter of serious concern, it said. Maximum illegal constructions found in buffer zone Under the government notification issued on 16 March 2022, a buffer zone of 50 metres in urban areas and 250 metres in rural areas has been marked from the lake’s Full Tank Level (FTL). A 250-metre restricted belt has also been notified around the Kolans River, where construction and other activities are either regulated or prohibited. Despite this, the highest number of encroachments has surfaced in these very restricted zones. The tribunal also reminded authorities that it had earlier directed the corporation to submit a detailed report on 12 November 2025, 17 December 2025 and 11 February 2026, but no meaningful compliance has been seen so far. The next hearing in the matter has now been scheduled for 9 July 2026.