Guwahati: The Assam Forest Department’s decision to to allow Cairn Oil and Gas to explore oil and gas in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary has ignited widespread concern among experts and environmental activists.
Cairn Oil and Gas, a subsidiary of mining giant Vedanta, has sought to divert 4.49 hectares of forest land for drilling operations at Dishoi Valley Reserve Forest near Marinai in upper Assam’s Jorhat district. The proposal is currently under review by the Union Environment Ministry’s Forest Advisory Committee (FAC).
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Last month, Assam PCCF (Wildlife) Sandeep Kumar recommended to the Centre that forest clearance be granted to Cairn Oil and Gas’s proposal for oil and gas exploration in the sanctuary’s ESZ.
The decision to allow oil exploration in this critical habitat has been met with strong opposition from various stakeholders. Journalist and wildlife activist Mubina Akhtar slammed the Assam Forest Department’s recommendation, calling it “outrageous.”
“This forest patch is one of the last refuges of the endangered Western Hoolock Gibbon in Assam. The proposed drilling will irreparably damage their already shrinking habitat,” Akhtar said.
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She said that encroachment of tea gardens and human settlements around the sanctuary has already fragmented the critical habitat of these apes. Akhtar warned that further habitat loss due to drilling operations would cause irreparable damage to the gibbon population.
Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti, a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), also expressed his displeasure over the decision. He emphasized the vulnerability of the Gibbons in Hollongapar and warned that further habitat loss could lead to their inclusion in the IUCN Red List.
“The Gibbons in Hollongapar are already vulnerable. Further loss of habitat will put it in IUCN Red List, which will bring bad name for Govt of Assam. Gibbons need continuous canopy, but the proposed mining will lead to fragmentation of the forest and thereby division of the canopies. It will seriously affect the living of the Gibbons as continuity of the canopies will be done away with,” Dr Borkakoti said.
He also warned of the risk of forest fires, which could devastate the entire habitat. “The permission given by Chief Wildlife Warden is also questionable as he is only an official of the state government, not an autonomous functionary. The alibi of national interest pales before the global interest of keeping Gibbons alive,” said the IUCN member.
Dr. Parimal Chandra Bhattacharjee, a former Professor of Gauhati University, who pioneered wetland, primatology and biodiversity studies across Northeast, said Hollongapar Wildlife Sanctuary is a vital habitat for various wildlife species.
He warned that the drilling operations could disturb the movement of elephants, leading to increased human-elephant conflict. The wildlife expert urged the company to implement stringent measures to minimize any negative impact on wildlife, especially considering the potential movement of elephants and other animals outside the sanctuary.
“As the populations of these species grow, they may venture outside the sanctuary. Elephants, in particular, are known to stray into the surrounding area. To ensure the well-being of these animals, the company must implement stringent measures to minimize any negative impact on wildlife,” Dr. Bhattacharjee added.
The sanctuary is home to a rich biodiversity, including the endangered Western Hoolock Gibbon and the nocturnal Bengal slow loris. Other primates, Asian elephants, tigers, leopards, and numerous other species can be found in the sanctuary.
“To maintain biodiversity and uphold environmental standards, government oversight is crucial. Regular monitoring should be in place to ensure compliance with regulations and the implementation of appropriate conservation measures,” he said.
Senior journalist and environmental activist Apurba Ballav Goswami opposed the drilling project, citing the ongoing elephant-human conflict in Assam due to diminishing forest cover.
“Elephant-human conflict persists in various places of Assam due to the diminishing forest cover. The Gibbon sanctuary serves as a crucial elephant habitat, and herds frequently venture into the Disoi Valley, Tiruhil, and Disoi forests. Implementing oil and gas exploration in the Disoi Valley would disrupt these vital elephant wandering sites, potentially leading to increased human-elephant conflict in the area,” he said.
Is State Board for Wildlife Compromising Wildlife for Development?:
Assam Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary stated in the Assembly on August 29 that the State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) had approved the proposal to check the possibility of oil exploration around 13 km from the Hollongapar Gibbon wildlife sanctuary. However, this decision has raised questions about the board’s priorities and its commitment to wildlife conservation.
Several well-known conservationists, including Padmashree Kushal Konwar Sarma, Kaushik Baruah, Rathin Barman, Bibhab Talukdar, and Anowar Uddin Choudhury, are members of the State Board for Wildlife. Their approval of the project has raised concerns among many.
“The proposal for drilling by Cairn India will endanger the gibbon population in the sanctuary that houses more than hundred of the species. I simply wonder how Vedanta’s proposal was passed in the State Board for Wildlife, Assam,” Akhtar told Northeast Now.
Anowar Uddin Choudhury, a member of the State Board of Wildlife, defended the board’s decision, claiming that the proposed drilling site is not within the sanctuary and therefore unlikely to affect wildlife. While he acknowledged the need for development, he emphasized the need for balance between development and environmental protection and urged the company to take precautions to minimize disturbance to wildlife and reduce tree felling.
Need for Public Hearing !:
Experts and activists have also called for public hearings to be conducted before the project proceeds. Dr. Parimal Chandra Bhattacharjee advocated for conducting public hearings before proceeding with the project. “Before proceeding with the project, gaining the support and trust of the local community is paramount. Public hearings should be conducted to address concerns and ensure that the project does not adversely affect the livelihoods of local residents,” said Bhattacharjee.
Vedanta’s Kaziranga Initiative: A Strategic Move or Genuine Conservation Effort?
The Anil Agarwal Foundation (AAF), the CSR arm of Vedanta, has signed an MoU with Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve authorities to provide a surveillance center and dwelling units for frontline workers. This collaboration is part of TACO’s wildlife conservation project ‘Mission Vanraksha’. AAF stated that this collaboration would strengthen the protection of Kaziranga’s wildlife, including endangered species like the Greater One-Horned Rhinos, Asiatic Elephants, and Bengal Tigers.
However, some activists have questioned Vedanta’s motives. They argue that the company’s donation to Kaziranga could be a strategy to gain public support and deflect criticism from its other environmentally harmful projects.
“Is it a strategy of the Vedanta group to expand its operations in Assam, potentially harming the environment in other parts of the state by providing financial support to Kaziranga?” asked Apurba Ballav Goswami.
Vedanta Ltd has faced several controversies in the past, including allegations of corporate influence on politics through donations to political parties and environmental concerns related to its mining operations in India and abroad.
In November, 2023, Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Ltd, approved a Rs 200 crore donation through electoral bonds to various political parties. This was the highest amount the company ever donated for a political cause in a single month.
The company’s donation raised concerns among some stakeholders about its corporate influence on politics.
Some analysts speculated that Vedanta Ltd may have used its donation as a way of influencing policy decisions or securing favourable outcomes for its mining projects or interests.
Some activists also accused Vedanta Ltd of using its donation as a way of whitewashing its negative impacts on environment.
Stock exchange disclosures reveal Vedanta Ltd donated Rs 155 crore (around $20 million) to political parties through electoral bonds in FY23 (April 2022- March 2023). This is higher than Rs 123 crore donated in FY22.
In total, Vedanta Ltd donated Rs 457 crore (around $60 million) through electoral bonds since FY18.
OCCRP reported Vedanta as a significant donor to the BJP. Two entities linked to a Vedanta subsidiary allegedly donated Rs 43.5 crore to BJP between 2016 and 2020.
Vedanta: A Controversial Corporate Saga:
Vedanta’s history of controversy includes clashes with tribal communities over bauxite mining in Odisha, legal challenges in Zambia, and the closure of its Sterlite copper smelter plant in Tamil Nadu due to environmental concerns.
In India, the company faced allegations of violating foreign company funding restrictions for Indian political parties. The Delhi High Court ruled in 2014 that Vedanta‘s donations to the BJP and Congress Party (exceeding Rs 160 crore between 2004-2012) were illegal.
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) accused Vedanta of running a covert lobbying campaign to weaken environmental regulations during the Covid-19 pandemic. The report claimed that the Indian government approved these changes without public consultation and implemented them through “illegal methods.”
Vedanta’s alleged efforts to increase mining production without additional environmental approvals and Cairn Oil and Gas’s successful lobbying to eliminate public hearings for oil exploration have drawn significant criticism.
For years, tribal communities in Odisha have clashed with Vedanta over bauxite mining. Protests against the company’s activities have gained global attention, spreading to New Delhi and London. In 2014, Vedanta lost its bid to mine bauxite in Odisha’s Niyamgiri hills, considered sacred by the Dongria Kondh tribe.
In Africa, the Zambian government attempted to liquidate Konkola Copper Mines Plc, a Vedanta subsidiary. Officials accused the company of tax evasion and misleading the government about its expansion plans. Vedanta denied these allegations.
The 2018 police firing during protests against the Sterlite copper smelter plant expansion in Tamil Nadu resulted in 13 deaths and the plant’s closure. The Supreme Court dismissed Vedanta’s plea to reopen the plant in February 2024.
In 2017, a UK court rejected Vedanta’s attempt to block a legal challenge from Zambian villagers regarding alleged pollution.
Due to its environmental record, the Norwegian Pension Fund excluded Vedanta from its portfolio in 2007 and later dropped Sesa Sterlite, a Vedanta unit, in 2014.