Rs 739 crore Ganga bridge project: NGT slams NHAI for violations, slaps Rs 10 lakh fine on contractor

Justice Prakash Shrivastava (NGT chairperson) and Dr Afroz Ahmad (expert member) urged immediate action to ensure that the provisions of the River Ganga Rejuvenation Order, 2016 are not violated.

“The District Ganga Committees are also required to be vigilant and keep a watch over any construction which starts in the flood plain, bank or mid-stream of river Ganga or its tributaries in violation of the River Ganga Rejuvenation Order, 2016,” the NGT said on April 22.

The committees must take immediate action against such construction to ensure that the provisions of the River Ganga Rejuvenation Order, 2016 are not violated and river Ganga and its tributaries are effectively protected and the object of issuing the River Ganga Rejuvenation Order is achieved, the NGT added.

Background

The project forms part of a 7.66 km inner ring road (Prayagraj Southern Bypass Phase-1), including a 3.1 km bridge across the Ganga, with an estimated cost of Rs 739 crore.

The application in this regard was filed by the Bharatiya Kisan Union Purwa in 2024, raising two core allegations:

• Illegal bridge construction: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and its contractor, M/s GPT Infra Projects Limited, had begun constructing a 3.1 km bridge between Naini and Jhunsi over the Ganga without obtaining prior approval from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).
• Unauthorised industrial activity: Concrete batching plants set up for the project were operating without obtaining Consent to Establish (CTE) and Consent to Operate (CTO) from the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB).

The applicant relied on RTI responses from NMCG and UPPCB, indicating the absence of approvals and sought directions to halt the construction and initiate action against the project authorities.

Joint inspection confirms violations

A joint committee constituted by the district magistrate, Prayagraj, carried out a field inspection on December 31, 2024:

• It found that the bridge construction had commenced without NMCG clearance.
• Batching plants were operating in violation of environmental norms.
• Mandatory permissions under pollution control laws had not been obtained.

Post-facto approvals do not erase violations

During the proceedings, it emerged that NHAI later obtained NMCG approval on May 1, 2025, while CTOs for the batching plants were granted on May 3 and May 7, 2025.

However, the tribunal noted that construction had already begun and progressed before these approvals were secured, making it a clear case of non-compliance at the initial stage.

“The NHAI before starting any project must ensure that all the prior environmental clearances are obtained and during the course of construction it must ensure that the conditions of environmental clearances are not violated,” said the NGT.

NGT’s key directions

Disposing of the matter, the tribunal issued a series of directions:

• Mandatory prior approvals: NHAI must ensure that future projects obtain NMCG clearance before commencement.
• Compensation recovery: UPPCB must proceed with the recovery of environmental compensation, including the Rs 10 lakh penalty already initiated.
• Time-bound action: Recovery proceedings must be completed within three months.
• Joint inspection: Authorities must assess the environmental damage caused by the project.
• Further penalties: Additional compensation must be imposed if violations are confirmed, along with remedial measures.

Regulatory lapses and accountability

The NGT also noted that nearly 9 per cent of the construction work had already been completed before NMCG approval was sought, prompting the river authority to raise concerns and call for action against responsible officials.

In response, the NHAI issued internal directions mandating compliance with the Ganga protection notification and requiring prior approvals for such projects.

Reaffirming the legal framework, the tribunal emphasised that the Ganga floodplain is a designated construction-free zone. Prior approval from NMCG is mandatory for projects like bridges. The construction must not obstruct the natural flow of the river. Any ecological damage must be repaired by the project proponent.

NMCG pulled up in January

On January 30, the NGT had pulled up the National Mission for Clean Ganga for failing to identify responsible officials for alleged illegal construction of a bridge over Ganga river in Prayagraj and outlined that the responsibility cannot be pinned on a single official.

The principal bench of the NGT, comprising chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel, was hearing a plea filed by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Purwa) and asked the NMCG to identify the officials responsible for violating the norms.

“The officials responsible for taking the decision and proceeding further with the construction of the bridge in violation of the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016 without obtaining prior permission of the NMCG are required to be identified for appropriate action,” said the NGT on January 30.

Why NGT called this Chhattisgarh coal mine ‘nationally important’ amid global wars

Calling the Gare Palma Sector-II coal mine project in Chhattisgarh with the capacity of 23.6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) production of “national importance” for India facing an energy crisis in the backdrop of ongoing global wars – Middle East war and Russia Ukraine war – the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on April 17 upheld the environmental clearance granted to the project.

A bench of Justice Sheo Kumar Singh (Judicial Member) and Dr Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi (Expert Member), which was hearing an appeal filed by local residents against the grant of environmental clearance dated August 13, 2024, to the project in Raigarh district.

“The project is for the energy sector for which the country and the world is facing a crisis due to the Russia-Ukraine and Mid-East War and facing the energy crisis. The State has to depend on energy and, thus, the project is of national importance. There is no illegality or irregularity in conducting the procedure or order,” the NGT said.

NGT flags lapses in groundwater depletion crisis in 17 states, 2 UTs, forms panel

Pointing out a “serious lapse” by states and Union territories in enforcing groundwater regulations, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has stepped in to constitute a high-powered expert committee to tackle unchecked extraction and falling water tables.

A bench of Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, along with expert members Dr A Senthil Vel and Dr Afroz Ahmad, was hearing a suo motu case registered based on a 2023 news report which warned that parts of the Indo-Gangetic basin had already crossed groundwater depletion tipping points, with projections indicating critically low availability in north-west India by 2025.

The NGT directed the formation of a multi-disciplinary panel comprising representatives of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, an expert from IIT Roorkee, and the Central Ground Water Authority (as nodal agency), which will examine regulatory lapses, recommend measures to curb over-extraction in critically affected regions, and suggest strategies for groundwater recharge and sustainable management.

“There is a lapse on the part of the States/UTs and their authorities in taking adequate steps to prevent the illegal drawl of groundwater and to ensure recharge of the groundwater level where it has gone below the critical point,” the NGT said on April 23.