Yamuna floodplain constructions: HC orders farmhouse owners, Noida authority for ‘status quo’

The High Court also clubbed the latest petition with a similar 2023 case, consolidating ongoing legal scrutiny of floodplain damage

NOIDA: The Allahabad High Court has ordered farmhouse owners and the Noida authority to maintain status quo in a new dispute over alleged illegal constructions on the Yamuna floodplain, highlighting the issue between private developers and ecological protection.

The order came in response to a petition filed by 30 farmhouse owners, challenging demolition notices issued by the Noida authority, alleging arbitrary targeting of certain properties while sparing others. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The court also clubbed the latest petition with a similar 2023 case, consolidating ongoing legal scrutiny of floodplain damage.

The order came in response to a petition filed by 30 farmhouse owners, challenging demolition notices issued by the Noida authority, alleging arbitrary targeting of certain properties while sparing others.

The farmhouse owners have stated in the petition that “their premises are located five kilometres from the riverbank, lie outside the High Flood Level (HFL) zone, are temporary, and do not obstruct river flow”.

To be sure, the authority has demarcated the Yamuna floodplain under the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016.

The court has granted three weeks for respondents to file replies, with the next hearing set for September 24, while directing that no construction or development be carried out on disputed plots.

To be sure, the case is part of an ongoing dispute over floodplain protection in Noida, dating back to May 2022, when the Noida authority claimed farmhouses were illegally built in ecologically sensitive zones. Even as on June 2022, the authority issued a public notice banning all construction, it demolished close to 125 farmhouses, sparking multiple court petitions. Hundreds of objections were filed, but the authority maintained that no concessions would be granted.

A fresh petition filed in March 2023 once again sought relief against the demolition drive.

On May 1, 2023, the High Court had directed both sides to maintain status quo, specifically restraining the authority from demolishing farmhouses in Sector 135 and asking the Noida authority, and the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) to file counter affidavits.

Notably, this Tuesday (August 26), the Noida authority and the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department demolished at least 23 farmhouses built in sector 150 and 151 areas, in the flood plains of Yamuna. It was a big demolition drive in a joint drive in the last one year time.