Government Departments Encroach Upon Green Belts in Ludhiana: NGT Takes Major Action

June 3, 2026

In Ludhiana, government departments themselves have encroached upon parks and greenbelts to carry out illegal construction. Acting on a petition filed by the Public Action Committee (PAC), the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has adopted a very stern stance. The NGT has made it clear that it will no longer rely solely on paper-based claims or maps; instead, the reality on the ground will be thoroughly verified.

The Tribunal has mandated that a “physical verification”—that is, an on-site inspection to assess the ground reality—is absolutely essential for all areas cited in the complaint. Consequently, the NGT has constituted a high-level committee to conduct a physical verification of the encroachments by government and semi-government agencies on the city’s parks and greenbelts.

The committee comprises the Regional Officer from the Union Ministry of Environment (Chandigarh) and the Member Secretary of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), while the Deputy Commissioner of Ludhiana has been designated as its ‘Nodal Officer.’

Read on to discover what the PAC alleged in its petition against the Municipal Corporation, the Improvement Trust, and GLADA..

Rampant Construction Despite Pending Litigation: In its petition, the PAC has pointed out that a case concerning the concretization of greenbelts, illegal parking, and the construction of a library is already pending before the NGT. Despite this, the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation—showing utter disregard for the court—has initiated several new illegal construction projects on land designated as parks and greenbelts.

Commercial Activities at the Expense of Greenbelts: Causing immense damage to the environment, a vast section of the greenbelt situated along the Old G.T. Road has been converted into a commercial vegetable market and retail shops.

Felling of Trees and Installation of Artificial Turf: Under the pretext of facilitating cricket matches, the branches of trees within the greenbelt near the Old G.T. Road were severely damaged. The natural greenery was obliterated to erect massive iron structures, and the natural grass was removed to lay artificial turf over a concrete base.

Offices and Garbage Dumps on Park Land: The Municipal Corporation has constructed its offices and staff quarters on approximately 25% of the land belonging to Shaheedi Park in Kidwai Nagar. The situation reached an extreme when, following the concreting of the Old G.T. Road, an illegal open garbage dump was established directly atop the greenbelt.