NGT questions Assam Police building in Geleky Reserve Forest, cites violation of Forest Act

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has expressed surprise over the construction of a building for a commando battalion of Assam Police inside the Geleky Reserve Forest, violating the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. 

A bench comprising Justice Sheo Kumar Singh and Expert Member Dr Arun Kumar Verma is awaiting a report from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) regarding the violation. 

The case was registered based on complaints from RTI activist Rohit Choudhury, who alleged that 28 hectares of forest land near the Nagaland border were diverted for constructing the building without MoEFCC approval. 

The bench questioned how such a large construction housing 800 armed personnel could proceed without adherence to the Act. 

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The NGT highlighted that the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, aims to prevent the diversion of forest land for residential buildings and cited the 2019 Guidelines, which state that only essential operational buildings should be constructed without damaging the forest. 

The NGT stated that only the central government could decide on the construction of such a large structure within a forest. It is awaiting MoEFCC’s report on action taken against the then Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) of Assam, M K Yadava. 

The MoEFCC informed that a three-member committee has been formed to investigate the issue but has not yet submitted its report. 

The Tribunal has granted one more month for the report. The Assam government defended the construction, stating it was necessary to protect the Geleky Reserve Forest from encroachments, deforestation, and other illegal activities.