Guwahati: While the Supreme Court continues to examine allegations of illegal stone quarrying in Assam, the Union government’s Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has quietly cleared the expansion of a stone mine in Jagiroad, raising questions about regulatory accountability, procedural haste, and the credibility of environmental oversight mechanisms.
Official records seen by Northeast Now show that the FAC of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) granted “in-principle” approval on January 22, 2026, for the diversion of an additional 4 hectares of Reserved Forest, expanding Jagiroad Stone Mahal No. F1 from 1 hectare to 5 hectares.
The mine is operated by Hills Trade Agencies, owned by Ranbir Singh Gandhi (RS Gandhi).
The clearance comes even as Jagiroad figures in a pending Supreme Court case alleging illegal stone mining across multiple districts of Assam.
Supreme Court Watching, FAC Approves
In Writ Petition (Civil) No. 202/1995, an interlocutory application (IA No. 218391/2024) filed by Assam’s environmental activist Dilip Nath alleges multiple mining leases—including those in Jagiroad—of operating without valid forest and environmental clearances.
Also read: SC to hear petition against illegal stone mining in Assam involving RS Gandhi
Nath accused RS Gandhi of carrying out large-scale illegal stone quarrying in Jagiroad by exploiting expired or improperly used permits. He alleged that Gandhi, listed as Respondent No. 20, has flouted environmental regulations with impunity and expanded mining operations well beyond approved limits.
On August 12, 2025, the apex court had constituted a committee to probe the allegations and directed the district administration to immediately halt mining activities found to be operating without valid forest or environmental clearances. While the committee submitted its report, the matter remains sub-judice, with no final judgment delivered so far.
Despite this, the FAC proceeded to recommend the mine’s expansion.
Notably, the Jagiroad lease under consideration for expansion was among those inspected by the court-appointed committee.
Satellite Evidence, But No Clear Accountability
According to FAC deliberations, analysis of Google satellite imagery shows that mining activity has been visible in the Jagiroad area over approximately 1.69 hectares since 2014—a figure that exceeds the area formally approved for mining until 2023.
Yet, the committee stopped short of calling this a violation.
Why? Because the State Government failed to produce KML files and precise demarcation maps, making it “difficult,” in the FAC’s own words, to conclusively determine whether the disturbed forest land was legally mined or illegally encroached upon.
In other words, the absence of clear data worked in the miner’s favour.
Reserved Forest, Dense Canopy, Active Wildlife
According to the minutes of the FAC meeting, the forest land now approved for diversion is not degraded scrubland. It is a Reserved Forest with a canopy density of 0.7, classified as Eco Class I. The Assam government itself has admitted the presence of wild elephants, pythons, barking deer, wild boar, and birds in and around the lease area.
Despite these ecological indicators—and the unresolved court case—the FAC concluded that since the mine was already “running,” further forest diversion could be considered.
Compensatory Afforestation on Encroached Land?
To offset the forest loss, compensatory afforestation (CA) has been proposed over double the diverted area in the Lutumai Reserved Forest, at a projected cost of Rs 3.009 crore.
However, FAC records reveal that satellite imagery of the proposed CA site shows settlements, cultivation, and kachha roads. The land, according to the Regional Office, was earlier encroached and later “evicted” by the Assam Government.
Thus, old forest is cleared for mining, while plantation is promised on land that was forest once, then encroached, then cleared again—a circular logic that environmental experts have long criticised.
Clearance in Unusual Haste
Perhaps the most glaring anomaly is speed. While forest clearance proposals often remain pending for years, the Jagiroad mining expansion was cleared in about one month—from submission to FAC recommendation.
According to records available on the Environment Ministry’s PARIVESH portal, a proposal seeking extension of the F1 stone mohal at Jagiroad was submitted on December 19, 2025, for diversion of an additional 4 hectares of forest land, adjoining an earlier approved mining area of one hectare.
Barely a month later, on January 22, 2026, the FAC considered the proposal and granted in-principle (Stage-I) approval.
Environmental researchers point out that several fresh stone mining proposals from Assam have remained pending with the MoEF&CC for two to three years, often deferred repeatedly by the FAC on technical or procedural grounds.
“The concern is not that an extension was considered. The concern is why this proposal moved so quickly when others, similarly placed, have been kept in limbo for years,” said a Guwahati-based environmental analyst, requesting anonymity.
The FAC justified the decision by citing a 2025 Assam government notification allowing minor mineral leases below 5 hectares to be expanded to 5 hectares. But critics argue that administrative convenience cannot override unresolved legal and environmental red flags, especially when the Supreme Court is still seized of the matter.
Political Proximity Fuels Disquiet
The controversy is compounded by the mine operator RS Gandhi’s alleged proximity to powerful political figures in Assam, including state cabinet minister Pijush Hazarika and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
While no document directly links political influence to the clearance, the combination of speed, timing, and regulatory leniency has intensified public suspicion.
Conditional Approval, But Binding Court Orders
The FAC has attached multiple conditions to the approval, including the preparation of a site-specific Wildlife Management Plan, assessment of any forest land used without prior clearance, recovery of penal compensatory afforestation costs and Net Present Value (NPV) if violations are confirmed, and initiation of action against erring officials where applicable.
The committee has stated that the final outcome of the pending Supreme Court proceedings will be binding on both the user agency (RS Gandhi) and the Assam government.