The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to expedite land allotment and financial approvals for setting up five water treatment plants (WTPs) in the state capital, observing that their establishment is essential.
The issue of establishing the WTPs in Lucknow was raised in the plea in view of availability of pure drinking water. A division bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manjive Shukla passed the order on October 28, 2026, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Utkarsh Lok Seva Sansthan in 2016.
The district magistrate has already allotted land for the project, it submitted. The government also informed the court through affidavits that land had been identified at four other locations such as Barabanki Road, Kanpur Road, Sultanpur Road and Hardoi Road for setting up the plants through the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (Urban). It further directed the government to secure the necessary financial approvals for the remaining four plants by following the procedure adopted for the Sitapur Road project.
During the hearing, the state government informed the court that a proposal seeking financial approval of ₹ 231.52 crore for the proposed water treatment plant on Sitapur Road had been placed before the state cabinet and a decision was expected shortly.
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), according to the order.
The matter will be heard again after a month. MANOJ KUMAR SINGH
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 in setting up the other four plants.
