Allahabad High Court pushes UP to fast-track five Lucknow water treatment plants

The Allahabad High Court directed Uttar Pradesh to expedite land and funding approvals for five Lucknow water treatment plants. The order puts pressure on the government to show tangible progress within a month.Stock photo used for illustrationLucknow,Oct 30, 2026 10:42 ISTThe Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to speed up land allotment and financial approvals for five water treatment plants in Lucknow, news agency Press Trust of India reported.The court said the plants were essential and asked the government to provide details of the progress made before the next hearing.A division bench of Justices Rajan Roy and Manjive Shukla passed the order in Lucknow on Thursday while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Utkarsh Lok Seva Sansthan.The state government told the court that a proposal seeking financial approval of Rs 231.52 crore for a water treatment plant on Sitapur Road had been placed before the state cabinet and that a decision was expected shortly. The district magistrate has already allotted land for the project, according to PTI. The government also said in affidavits that land had been identified at four other locations — Barabanki Road, Kanpur Road, Sultanpur Road and Hardoi Road — for plants to be set up through the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (Urban).Taking note of the submissions, the court directed the state government to complete the land allotment process and hand over the identified plots to the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (Urban). It also directed the government to secure the necessary financial approvals for the remaining four plants by following the process adopted for the Sitapur Road project.The bench asked the state government to file an affidavit before the next hearing, detailing the cabinet's decision on the Sitapur Road project and the progress made on the other four plants.The case will be heard again after a month, with the government required to report on financial approval for the Sitapur Road plant and steps taken to establish the four other facilities.- Ends