ITANAGAR: All construction activities in the Manabhum reserve forest and the Namsai reserve forest areas in Namsai district of Arunachal Pradesh has been halted.
This has been done under the initiative of Kolkata based eastern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
The NGT issued the interim order based on a complaint filed by James Teli Camder and Tongam Jomoh against the MoEF&CC and others, alleging that construction activities are taking place within the reserved forest areas.
The court has listed the case on April 19.
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The respondents have been asked to file their counter-affidavits within four weeks.
The complainants have alleged that “19.5 hectares of forest land have been encroached in Tengapani area for the construction of the Golden Pagoda and a meditation centre, while 2.5 hectares of forest land of Namsai reserved forest have been encroached on for the construction of the mini-secretariat building in Namsai.”
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They further alleged that five hectares of forest land of Manabhum reserve forest in Lathou circle have been encroached on for the construction of a statue of the Buddha.