Guwahati: The Assam government has told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) principal bench that the newly constructed Assam Police commando battalion camp in Hailakandi district does not require environmental clearance, claiming exemption under the category of an “educational institution.”
The submission, made on Tuesday and made public on Wednesday, hinges on a decision by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), which reportedly classified the project as an educational institution based on its training-related infrastructure.
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The NGT bench comprising Justice Prakash Shrivastava, judicial member Sudhir Agarwal, and expert member A Senthil Vel has now directed the Assam government to officially place SEIAA’s decision on record.
Assam’s Advocate General Devajit Saikia submitted that the state had relied on a 2025 notification issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which exempts certain construction projects up to 1,50,000 square metres like warehouses, industrial sheds, and facilities for educational institutions from the mandatory requirement of environmental clearance.
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According to the state, the battalion camp qualifies for this exemption, with only 19,668 square metres built so far. The affidavit presented by Saikia said the project includes a kill house, drill shed, watch tower, and training centre features that the State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) believed aligned with the functions of an educational institution.
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The SEAC also noted that cadets would receive physical, mental, and spiritual training on-site.
However, this reasoning faced strong opposition during the hearing. Advocate Parul Gupta, representing a proposed intervenor, argued that the exemption was invalid because the 2025 environment ministry notification has been stayed by the Supreme Court since February.
Gupta further alleged that the state had filed a misleading affidavit and urged the bench to consider strict action against the state’s counsel and the secretary of the environment department.
“This is not an educational institution. It’s a 30,000-square-metre construction with no resemblance to a school or college,” Gupta told the tribunal. She also pointed out that the environment ministry had reminded states as recently as April 15 about the Supreme Court’s stay on the notification.
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In a prior hearing on April 7, the NGT had questioned whether the Assam government had sought environmental clearance for the camp, which is being constructed on forest land—potentially in violation of forest conservation laws.
Under the 2006 Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification, environmental clearances are required for construction projects depending on their size and potential impact. State-level authorities such as the SEIAA and SEAC are responsible for assessing smaller, category ‘B’ projects.
The matter remains under review by the NGT as the court awaits the official record of SEIAA’s exemption decision.