Guwahati: Two more Assam Police commando battalion camps were allegedly built inside the state’s reserve forests without permission from the Union Environment Ministry.
This comes as the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) have already initiated legal action against a senior forest official for similar violations.
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Sources said the 3rd Police Commando Battalion camp was constructed at Daldali Reserve Forest in Karbi Anglong district along Assam Nagaland border, while the 5th battalion camp was set up inside Pabhoi Reserve Forest in Biswanath district.
According to sources privy to the matter, both of these projects were undertaken without the mandatory clearance from the Union Environment Ministry.
Google satellite images viewed by Northeast Now appear to show large, multi-story buildings within both reserve forests.
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Under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, prior approval from the Union Environment Ministry is required for any construction within a protected reserve forest.
Allegations of a Pattern of Violations
Permission for the construction of the two new camps was reportedly granted by Assam Special Chief Secretary (Forest) M.K. Yadava, who was serving as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) at the time.
This isn’t the first time Yadava has been implicated in such a violation. While serving as PCCF and Head of Forest Force (HoFF), he also cleared two other commando battalion camps without central government approval: one at Inner Line Reserve Forest in Hailakandi and another at Geleki Reserve Forest in Sivasagar.
The NGT previously took up two separate cases against Yadava for these two constructions, citing a clear violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act. The NGT’s principal bench has since closed the Damchera case after receiving post-facto approval from the Centre. However, the Geleki case is still awaiting a decision from the Kolkata bench.
In July of this year, the MoEF&CC ordered legal action against Yadava for “gross violations” of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980.
In two separate letters dated July 2025, Deputy Inspector General of Forests (Central) Pee Lee Ete highlighted that site inspections conducted by the Regional Office in Shillong revealed “large-scale, permanent construction” in both the Geleki and Inner Line Reserve Forests.
Investigations by both the MoEF&CC and an NGT-constituted committee concluded that significant construction was undertaken in both areas without the required central government approval.
Despite repeated attempts, MK Yadava was not available for comments.