NGT Slams Assam’s Forest Chief Over Shocking Affidavit in Controversial Land Diversion Case
GUWAHATI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has raised concerns about an affidavit submitted by Assam’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Raj Pal Singh, regarding the diversion of 44 hectares of forest land for a commando battalion unit near the Assam-Mizoram border in the Damcherra Inner Line Reserve Forest (DILRF).
During a hearing on August 2, NGT Chairperson Prakash Shrivastava, accompanied by members Arun Kumar Tyagi and A Senthil Vel, criticized Singh’s affidavit for being poorly worded and inconsistent with the Assam state government’s position. Assam’s Advocate General, Debajit Saikia, requested additional time to review the document as he had not received a copy, leading the NGT to schedule the next hearing for November 6.
The NGT had initially launched suo moto proceedings to investigate whether the forest land diversion complied with the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980. On April 23, the tribunal noted that the commando unit’s establishment violated regulations. Saikia subsequently reported that construction activities had halted and that an application for the necessary permissions was pending with the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Singh’s affidavit later claimed that the construction fell under Section 2(b) of the Forest (Conservation) Act, arguing that the unit’s purpose was to protect the forest.
Original Story https://www.guwahatiplus.com/assam/ngt-criticises-assams-forest-chief-over-affidavit-in-land-diversion-case
Category : Assam
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