NEW DELHI: Terming the menace of illegal and unauthorised constructions and encroachments on the Ganga River and its tributaries as "a very serious issue", the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Bihar government to remove all unauthorised structures, constructions and encroachments between Nauzar Ghat and Nurpur Ghat in Patna within six weeks and file a compliance report by September 23.
The court further directed the State of Bihar to comply with its directions irrespective of any orders passed by any other court that may be in operation.
A Bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan passed the order while hearing a civil appeal filed by Ashok Kumar Sinha, a resident of Patna, challenging an order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which had dismissed his original application.
In his plea, Sinha contended that there had been an alarmingly increasing number of illegal and unauthorised constructions and encroachments on the floodplains of the Ganga River, in gross violation of the regulations imposed under the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016, issued by the Ministry of Water Resources under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
The Supreme Court passed the order after counsel for the appellant, Akash Vashishtha, referred to the court's March 12, 2026 order, which had recorded the existence of hundreds of encroachments between Nauzar Ghat and Nurpur Ghat along the Ganga River in Patna.
"Despite that being the situation, the state authorities are not doing anything about it. They must at least look into it," Vashishtha submitted before the court.
The Bench also took note of heavy constructions involving cement, concrete, iron and steel allegedly being carried out in the middle of the Yamuna River channel in Vrindavan. The issue was raised through three applications filed by the Braj-Vrindavan Devalaya Samiti, an association of temples and sevaits in Vrindavan.
After considering the matter, the court ordered the maintenance of status quo and directed the Uttar Pradesh authorities not to undertake any further construction at the site until the next date of hearing.
Shubham Upadhyay, counsel appearing for the Samiti, urged the court to examine photographs showing extensive construction activity taking place in the middle of the Yamuna River stream in Vrindavan.
When the Bench sought to know the purpose of the construction within the river, Upadhyay submitted that it was purportedly being carried out for the extension of ghats. However, he argued that the extensions had reached almost the middle of the river, causing the Yamuna channel to shrink significantly and critically affecting the river's ecological flow.
While issuing notice to the State of Uttar Pradesh and allowing the intervention application filed by the Braj-Vrindavan Devalaya Samiti, the Supreme Court directed the state government to submit a comprehensive report on the matter.
Further, while impleading the States of Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh as parties, in addition to the nine Ganga basin states already on record, the court directed them to furnish, at the earliest, detailed information on the extent of encroachments on rivers, the demarcation of floodplains, and the steps taken to remove such encroachments.
The Bench warned that if the states failed to furnish the required information within the stipulated time, it would be compelled to summon the Chief Secretaries of each of the concerned states.