Environment Ministry regularises illegal Assam Police camps built on forest land

Last December, the ministry’s forest advisory committee (FAC) had recommended in-principle approval for these two proposals subject to certain specific conditions. Key among them was the direction to the Assam Police Housing Corporation Limited to pay five times penal net present value of the forest land on which the camps have been built.

Under the country’s forest conservation laws, forest land cannot be used for non-forestry purposes without prior approvals, and until a net present value, or the monetary valuation of the diverted land, and compensatory afforestation charges, are paid.

In January, the cumulative penal net present value of Rs 20.99 crore was paid to the state’s compensatory afforestation fund, as per ministry documents.

The final approval also consisted of specific conditions. It said that the approval would be subject to the outcome of cases being heard by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the violations pertaining to the battalion camps. The NGT’s principal bench had suo moto taken up the matter of the camp built on Hailakandi forests while the eastern zone bench is hearing a case on the Geleky forest camp in Sivasagar district, filed by Assam-based environmental activist Rohit Choudhury.

On the NGT’s orders, the MoEFCC had itself investigated these two camps and its regional office in Shillong had found that they were built in violation of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam. It had also issued notices to Assam’s top forest official M K Yadava for permitting these camps, without prior approval from the Centre.

As part of its approval’s specific conditions, the Centre has also said that its regional office “will pursue proceedings under Section 3A/3B of the Van Sanrakshan evam Samvardhan Adhiniyam, 1980 as applicable”. It added that no future expansion and further diversion of forest land for any expansion purposes shall not be allowed in the instant case.