📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Devendrasinghjadav
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NGT Orders Probe into Encroachment and Borewell Allegations at Rajasthan’s Sambhar Lake
✍️ Amar Ujala · Jaipur
🗓 30 Sep 2026, 03:15 PM
👁 9
The National Green Tribunal has issued notices over illegal encroachments, salt‑pan activities and alleged borewell drilling at Sambhar Lake, appointing a four‑member committee to submit its findings within six weeks.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has served formal notices to authorities concerning alleged illegal encroachments, the operation of salt‑pan units and unauthorized borewell drilling around Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan. The tribunal highlighted that these activities threaten the lake’s ecological balance and contravene environmental regulations.
In response, the NGT has constituted a four‑member committee comprising officials from the state forest department, water resources department, the lake management authority and an independent environmental expert. The committee has been tasked with a detailed on‑site investigation and is required to submit a comprehensive report within six weeks.
Sambhar Lake, the largest inland saline lake in India, serves as a critical habitat for migratory birds and supports local livelihoods through salt production. Over the years, the lake has faced mounting pressure from unregulated development, prompting repeated calls for stricter oversight.
The tribunal’s intervention aims to curb further degradation and ensure that any future activities around the lake comply with sustainable practices. The findings of the committee will inform potential remedial actions, including possible restoration projects and stricter enforcement of existing environmental norms.
In response, the NGT has constituted a four‑member committee comprising officials from the state forest department, water resources department, the lake management authority and an independent environmental expert. The committee has been tasked with a detailed on‑site investigation and is required to submit a comprehensive report within six weeks.
Sambhar Lake, the largest inland saline lake in India, serves as a critical habitat for migratory birds and supports local livelihoods through salt production. Over the years, the lake has faced mounting pressure from unregulated development, prompting repeated calls for stricter oversight.
The tribunal’s intervention aims to curb further degradation and ensure that any future activities around the lake comply with sustainable practices. The findings of the committee will inform potential remedial actions, including possible restoration projects and stricter enforcement of existing environmental norms.