Now Reading: Centre eases Ganga flood plain building ban, adopts zonal rules
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Centre eases Ganga flood plain building ban, adopts zonal rules
The Union government has relaxed the blanket ban on construction along the Ganga flood plain, replacing it with a zonal system. A gazette order on August 10 from the National Mission for…
The Story in Brief
The Union government has relaxed the blanket ban on construction along the Ganga flood plain, replacing it with a zonal system. A gazette order on August 10 from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) revises the 2016 River Ganga Authorities Order. It deletes the clause that made the flood plain a 'construction free zone' and defines three flood frequency zones: active (floods every 1-5 years), regulatory (5-25 years), and warning (25-100 years).
Strict bans now apply only in the active flood plain. Construction in the other zones is allowed with prior NMCG approval and environmental safeguards. A government official told The Hindu the change corrects an inconsistency where 'active flood plain' was used but never defined. The new rules follow Central Water Commission guidelines from July 2025. Litigants have cited the old blanket ban in recent National Green Tribunal petitions against riverfront projects on the Ganga and its tributaries.
The Indian Opinion
The NMCG calls this a fix for a legal inconsistency, not a dilution. But dropping the blanket 'no construction' clause while widening the definition looks like a giveaway to developers, especially as NGT cases on riverfront projects pile up. The real test will be what gets built in the 'regulatory' and 'warning' zones, and whether clearance rules are enforced or bypassed. Will the first major project in these new zones still face a legal challenge? Numbers in the next six months will answer that.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
