NGT seeks action against former Assam principal conservator for forest diversion

GUWAHATI The National Green Tribunal has asked the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to indicate what action had been taken against a former Principal Chief Conservator of Forest in Assam for diverting a sizeable part of a forest for a police battalion camp. Citing the guidelines, the NGT’s Judicial Member B. Amit Sthalekar and Executive Member Arun Kumar Verma said in their August 9 order that “it is not for the PCCF Assam to take a decision as to whether the strong constructions for 800 personnel with arms, ammunitions, and sophisticated weapons would impact forest conservation or not”. The NGT asked the Environment Ministry to file within four weeks an affidavit indicating what action had been taken against Mr. Yadava “who permitted diversion of forest land in violation of Section 2 of the Forest Act, 1980, for making solid constructions to house 800 personnel with arms, ammunitions and sophisticated weapons with parade area, exercise areas, shooting area, adequate housing, etc.”. Mr. Yadava has also been under the NGT’s scanner for the diversion of 44 hectares of forest along the Assam-Mizoram border in 2023 to construct an Assam Police commando battalion unit.