NGT orders probe into another Assam commando camp coming up on forest land

The latest case relates to the construction of the 2nd Assam Commando Battalion Camp on 28 hectares in Sivasagar district’s Geleky Forest Reserve. A petition filed by Golaghat-based environmental activist Rohit Choudhury alleged that the construction happened without approval from the Union Environment Ministry. Under the Forest (Conservation) Law, 1980, any non-forestry activity on forest land requires approval from the ministry.

A bench of judicial member Justice Sheo Kumar Singh and expert member Arun Kumar Verma said in a May 29 order that the plea relates to a “substantial environmental” issue and “requires consideration”.

The eastern zone bench ordered the formation of a committee of some senior officials of the Environment Ministry to look into the matter. “The committee shall visit the site and submit its report on affidavit. The Additional Director General of Forest, MoEF&CC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) shall be the Nodal officer for filing the report on affidavit,” the bench said.

The plea filed before the Kolkata bench said the alleged illegal constructions in Geleky Reserve Forest and Hailakandi district, was approved by the same officer of the Assam government, M K Yadava.

“The concerned official has misused his power and position to illegally divert a large part of the forest area without fulfilling the requirements of Compensatory Afforestation and Net Present Value which makes him personally liable for compensating and restoring the damage done to the forest,” the plea alleged.

After the NGT’s principal bench in January took up the suo motu case of alleged violations of forest conservation laws in Hailakandi district, the Environment Ministry ordered a site inspection of the commando camp being built on a reserve forest.

The inspection by the ministry’s Shillong office found that the construction violated the Forest (Conservation) Act. The principal bench had noted this in its April 23 order.

Following up on its findings, the Shillong office of the ministry also served a show cause notice to Yadava, asking him why it should not file a court complaint against him.

Both cases, the one before the principal bench and the one before the eastern zone bench, will be heard next in August.