New Delhi [India], September 28 (ANI): The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken note of the Uttar Pradesh government completing the process for expansion of the Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary in Agra to 798.1505 hectares, following a series of notifications issued in compliance with recommendations of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC).
A Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Expert Member Dr Afroz Ahmad passed the order on September 24 while disposing of Original Application No. 529/2023, Dr Sharad Gupta versus Union of India & Others.
The application had sought time-bound implementation of the CEC recommendations pursuant to a September 23, 2022 order of the Supreme Court.
The case concerned the expansion of the Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary (SSBS), located in Agra district, and implementation of recommendations made by the CEC in its report dated November 25, 2021.
The CEC had recommended that 403.09 hectares be notified as part of the Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary under Section 26A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It had also recommended considering the extension of the sanctuary by including the 380.558-hectare Surdas Reserve Forest block and government land forming part of the buffer zone, after following the statutory procedure under Sections 18 to 25 of the Act.
The Tribunal noted that while the application was pending, the Uttar Pradesh government took steps to implement the CEC recommendations and issued three notifications covering a total area of 798.1505 hectares.
The first notification, issued on June 12, 2024, notified 403.09 hectares in Agra as the Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary.
Thereafter, 380.558 hectares of reserve forest in the Surdas Forest Block were included in the sanctuary through a notification dated December 27, 2024. The notification was subsequently amended on August 31, 2026.
The final component of the expansion involved 14.5025 hectares of government land. The State government issued a notification dated September 10, 2026, amending the earlier sanctuary notification to include the additional land under Section 26A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
The September 10 notification specifically recorded that the 403.09 hectares had been notified in 2024 and the 380.558 hectares of Surdas Reserve Forest had subsequently been included. It then provided for inclusion of the remaining 14.5025 hectares of government land, details of which were set out in a separate schedule along with the boundaries and survey particulars.
The Tribunal also took note of its earlier order dated May 22, 2025, by which the Uttar Pradesh government had been directed to include and notify the 14.5025 hectares of government land in the sanctuary under Section 26A(1)(a) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
The order records that the three components, 403.09 hectares, 380.558 hectares and 14.5025 hectares together make up 798.1505 hectares, which is now the total area of the Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary.
The NGT further noted that with the issuance of the September 10, 2026 notification, the relief sought by the applicant stood satisfied. Consequently, the Tribunal disposed of the original application.
The CEC’s original recommendation referred to 15.514 hectares of government land for consideration as part of the sanctuary’s expansion; the subsequent notifications referred to in the NGT order ultimately included 14.5025 hectares of government land, taking the total notified sanctuary area to 798.1505 hectares.
Advocates Anshul Gupta and Aditya Tainguriya appeared for the applicant. Bhanwar Pal Singh Jadon, Shivansh Sharma and Disha Tiwari appeared for respondents 4 and 5, while Advocate Nidhi Jaswal appeared for the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change through video conference. (ANI)
NGT records expansion of Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary in Agra to 798.1505 hectares
