NGT notice to Environment Ministry, DM, PPCB over green belt encroachments
Action comes over plea by PAC against repeated violations in public parks
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to the District Magistrate, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) over alleged non-compliance with its order regarding encroachments on city’s green belts.
The case originated from an application filed by the public action committee (PAC) against repeated encroachments on green belts and public parks by government bodies, including the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana Improvement Trust and GLADA. Petitioners Kapil Arora and Jaskirat Singh pointed to illegal constructions along the Old GT Road near the Buddha Dariya, adjoining the Sarabha Nagar (Zone D) Office, Model Town Extension, and around several other parks.
On July 31, 2025, the Tribunal had disposed of the matter by constituting a joint committee comprising the regional officer of the MoEF&CC, the member secretary of the PPCB and the District Magistrate, as the nodal agency. The committee was directed to verify whether identified areas were earmarked as green spaces and in case of encroachments, initiate remedial and punitive action within three months. An action-taken report was sought by the Tribunal.
Petitioners Kuldeep Singh Khaira and Gurpreet Singh alleged that despite over six months having passsed, the committee had failed to comply with the Tribunal’s directions. Multiple representations, including WhatsApp messages to the DM on September 14, 2025, and January 10, 2026, and an email, dated November 21, 2025, addressed to all committee members elicited no response. Dr Amandeep Singh Bains and Mohit Saggar highlighted that fresh construction of a tehsil office had recently begun within the same green belt along Old GT Road, which they termed as a blatant violation of environmental laws, the city’s master plan and the directions of the NGT.
Taking serious note of the continued and wilful non-compliance, PAC members filed an Execution Application before the Tribunal. The matter was heard on Wednesday by the Chairperson Bench, which issued notices to the District Magistrate, PPCB and the MoEF&CC. The authorities have been directed to file their replies or a compliance report at least one week before the next hearing, scheduled for July 7.
