Guwahati: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Assam Chief Secretary to submit comprehensive affidavits by April 8 concerning encroachments in Assam’s Charduar and Balipara Reserve Forests, and Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary.
The NGT has slammed the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and Assam government for their failure to submit affidavits regarding alleged encroachment on three crucial reserve forests in the state.
Despite a previous order issued in August 2024, both the MoEF&CC and the Assam Chief Secretary failed to file its affidavit addressing the issues in the Charduar Reserve Forest, Balipara Reserve Forest, and Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary.
During a January 23 hearing, the bench of Justices B. Amit Sthalekar and Dr. Arun Kumar Verma expressed its displeasure at the non-compliance with the tribunal’s orders.
The affidavit filed by the ministry in November last year was notably silent on these matters.
The Tribunal also noted that the Assam Chief Secretary’s affidavit from last August lacked clarity on the actions being taken regarding the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Class populations, and others who may have encroached into the forests.
Additionally, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, in an affidavit filed in July last year, stated that the Forest department was asked to prepare a comprehensive resettlement and rehabilitation plan for the encroachment in the Nameri National Park-Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary landscape.
The case stems from an application filed by RTI activist Dilip Nath, who has been raising concerns about illegal land grants within Assam’s reserve forests.
According to Nath, approximately 1,115 individuals have been unlawfully granted land rights within these reserve forests, leading to the occupation of nearly 220 km of protected land.
Nath’s legal pursuit began in 2023 after he was unable to secure action from state authorities. He presented satellite imagery to the NGT as evidence of the encroachment.
He further alleged that political actors were facilitating this illegal occupation for electoral gain.
“To secure votes, Dhekiajuli MLA Ashok Singhal and the state government have effectively sacrificed the integrity of the reserve forests,” Nath claimed.
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Both the Ministry and the Assam government are required to submit comprehensive affidavits disclosing all relevant information by the next hearing on April 8.
