The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has acknowledged the Uttar Pradesh government’s completion of the expansion process for the Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary in Agra to 798.1505 hectares, following a series of notifications issued in line with recommendations from the Central Empowered Committee (CEC).
A Bench led by NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Expert Member Dr Afroz Ahmad passed the order on September 24, disposing of Original Application No. 529/2023 filed by Dr Sharad Gupta against the Union of India and others. The application requested the 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), situated in the Agra district, and the execution of CEC’s report dated November 25, 2021. The CEC recommended notifying 403.09 hectares as part of the sanctuary under Section 26A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It further advised considering extending the sanctuary to include the 380.558-hectare Surdas Reserve Forest block and government land within the buffer zone, subject to statutory procedures under Sections 18 to 25 of the Act.
The Tribunal noted that, while the application was pending, the Uttar Pradesh government initiated steps to implement these recommendations and issued three notifications covering a total area of 798.1505 hectares. The first notification, dated June 12, 2024, declared 403.09 hectares in Agra as the Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary. Subsequently, the Surdas Forest Block, comprising 380.558 hectares of reserve forest, was included by notification on December 27, 2024, later amended on August 31, 2026.
The final addition comprised 14.5025 hectares of government land. A notification dated September 10, 2026, amended the earlier sanctuary notification to incorporate this additional land under Section 26A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. This notification acknowledged the earlier notified areas of 403.09 hectares and 380.558 hectares respectively and provided details of the added land, including boundaries and survey particulars.
The Tribunal also referenced its earlier order dated May 22, 2025, directing the Uttar Pradesh government to include and notify the 14.5025 hectares of government land under Section 26A(1)(a) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
The combined areas of 403.09 hectares, 380.558 hectares, and 14.5025 hectares constitute the total expanded sanctuary area of 798.1505 hectares. With the issue of the September 10, 2026 notification, the Tribunal determined that the relief sought by the applicant had been satisfied, leading to the disposal of the original application.
The CEC had initially proposed considering 15.514 hectares of government land as part of the expansion; however, the final notifications included 14.5025 hectares, resulting in the notified sanctuary area of 798.1505 hectares.
Advocates Anshul Gupta and Aditya Tainguriya represented the applicant. Bhanwar Pal Singh Jadon, Shivansh Sharma, and Disha Tiwari appeared for respondents four and five, while Advocate Nidhi Jaswal represented the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change via video conference.