Patna: The Supreme Court has granted Bihar govt a final eight weeks to remove all unauthorised structures and encroachments from the Ganga floodplains between Nauzar Ghat and Noorpur Ghat in Patna.A bench comprising justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan issued a stern warning, stating that failure to meet this definitive deadline would result in the summoning of Bihar’s chief secretary along with other top officials, potentially triggering contempt of court proceedings. The bench noted that the court had, on July 21, granted the state six weeks to ensure that every unauthorised structure and encroachment standing on the stretch was cleared.During the Sept 28 hearing, Bihar’s advocate general Satya Darshi Sanjay informed the bench that the court’s orders had only been partially implemented. He cited a recent natural calamity in Nepal that caused the Ganga’s water levels to surge, submerging the specified stretch and temporarily halting demolition and clearance operations.Acknowledging the logistical challenges but emphasising environmental urgency, the bench asserted, “After eight weeks, i.e., on the next date of hearing, we want a full compliance report as regards the removal of the encroachments as directed by us. No further time shall be granted.”The Supreme Court was hearing a petition that challenged a June 2020 order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The NGT had previously dismissed a plea targeting illegal permanent constructions on these vulnerable floodplains. During the July proceedings, the top court had flagged illegal structures along the Ganga as a major environmental concern.The bench also addressed several intervention applications filed by locals who claimed their properties were built on private, lawful land outside the active floodplain boundary. The court disposed of these applications but allowed the intervenors to submit formal representations to competent state authorities. However, the bench explicitly mandated that such pleas must include absolute proof of land title and valid building sanctions. “In the absence of these documents, no representation shall be looked into,” the court clarified.
