Nagaon: The Divisional Forest Office (DFO) in Nagaon has issued a directive to M/s Dhariwal Buildtech Limited, seeking an immediate and detailed response to allegations of illegal mining and environmental violations in Assam.
This action comes in the wake of a crucial Supreme Court intervention application (I. A. No. 125409/25) in the ongoing Writ Petition (C) No. 202/1995, famously known as the T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad – Vs- UoI & Ors. case, which pertains to forest conservation across India.
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The letter, dispatched from the Nagaon DFO to M/s Dhariwal Buildtech Limited via the Kathiatoli Range Office, explicitly refers to the Supreme Court’s communication and instructs the company to “go through the content of the hon’ble court order and prepare a parawise reply against same.”
The enclosed Supreme Court document highlights a critical intervention application filed by Dilip Nath, an environmental activist from Dhekiajuli in Assam’s Sonitpur District.
Nath’s application to the Supreme Court paints a grim picture of widespread environmental non-compliance in Assam’s forest areas.
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He alleged that numerous mining leases are operating in violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act (FC Act), 1980, with activities extending beyond sanctioned boundaries and into ecologically sensitive zones without the requisite forest or environmental clearances.
The Supreme Court document details several key allegations from Nath, including:
Eleven mining leases operating illegally in Assam’s forest areas.
Systematic non-compliance in Reserved Forests, Proposed Reserved Forests, Protected Forests, and Deemed Forests.
Mining and quarrying activities without proper Forest Clearance and/or Environmental Clearance, often exceeding sanctioned lease boundaries.
Extensive deforestation, habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, and soil erosion in Protected Forests of Assam, including specific mentions of Tokrabandha Proposed Reserved Forest, Chitalmari Reserved Forest, Doboka Reserved Forest, Tetelia Baghara Reserved Forest, Sonaikuchi Reserved Forest, Kondoli Proposed Reserved Forest, and Dhulpahar Proposed Reserved Forest (all in Nagaon Division or nearby).
Failure by the State of Assam to identify and notify ‘deemed forests’ as required by the Supreme Court’s earlier directives, leading to unauthorized mining in such areas.
Operations continuing solely on the basis of Environmental Clearances (ECs) granted by District Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (DEIAAs), which the Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal have repeatedly declared “null and void.”
Mining activities being undertaken in the absence of final forest clearance, often based only on Stage-I (in-principle) approvals, and in areas beyond proposed diversion boundaries.
The Supreme Court’s 1996 order in the T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad case, explicitly cited in Nath’s application, clearly states that all non-forest activities, including mining and quarrying, require prior approval of the Central Government under Section 2 of the Forest Conservation Act. Any such activity without this approval is deemed a violation.