Forum Lodges Complaint Over Illegal Activities at Gol Bazar Lake, NHRC Issues Notice to West Tripura Authorities

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, July 31, 2025

A serious environmental complaint has been lodged by the Forum for Protection of Environment and Water Bodies against the inaction of the District Magistrate and Collector of West Tripura concerning the degradation and encroachment of Gol Bazar Lake (Maharajganj Bazar), a crucial urban water body in Agartala.

The complaint, dated July 28, 2025, was submitted by Shri Nikhil Debnath (President) and Shri Jayanta Bhattacherjee (Secretary) of the forum, headquartered at Kalyani, Dhaleswar, Agartala. The petition outlines allegations of continued illegal landfilling, unauthorized construction activities by Agartala Smart City Limited (ASCL), and arbitrary land allotments (touji) by the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) on the lakebed, severely impacting the environment and public interest.

The forum highlighted that despite earlier representations to the District Magistrate on December 27, 2022, and again on May 7, 2024, no concrete action has been taken to halt these illegal activities. The complainants also submitted that a response received under the Right to Information Act on November 14, 2023, confirms that no land diversion permission was ever issued for ASCL’s ongoing constructions, indicating that the works being carried out are not only unauthorized but also in violation of environmental regulations.

Citing the inaction of the administration as a violation of fundamental human rights, particularly the citizen’s right to a clean, safe, and sustainable environment, rights to the forum called for:

The Commission to take cognizance of the human rights violations resulting from the lake’s degradation;

An independent inquiry into the matter;

Immediate remedial and restorative measures by the District Administration;

Disciplinary and legal action against the responsible authorities and institutions;

Restoration of Gol Bazar Lake to its original ecological state.

In view of the seriousness of the allegations, the Commission has issued notices to the Secretary of the Revenue Department, the Commissioner of Agartala Municipal Corporation, the Chief Executive Officer of Agartala Smart City Limited, the District Magistrate & Collector of West Tripura, and the Chairman of the State Pollution Control Board.

However, the Commission has, at this stage, refrained from taking formal cognizance of the matter. Instead, it has provided an opportunity to the concerned authorities to take urgent remedial steps in public interest and submit a report before the next scheduled date on August 30, 2025.

The complaint represents growing public concern over unchecked urban development and institutional apathy toward environmental conservation in Tripura’s capital city.

more news...