Guwahati: A petition has been filed before the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) Eastern Zone Bench in Kolkata challenging the legality of an ongoing road construction project within the Barak Bhuban Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam’s Cachar district.
The petition, filed by Pradeepsinh Shekhawat, a resident of Jaipur, Rajasthan alleged that the construction is causing environmental damage and violates the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and guidelines issued by the Central Government in December 2023.
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The petition specifically names M.K. Yadava, the Special Chief Secretary in-charge of Forests in Assam, for allegedly issuing a directive in November 2022 that led to the illegal diversion of forest land for the road project.
IFS officer MK Yadava was posted as PCCF and HoFF of Assam, when the order was issued. Notably, Yadava retired as the PCCF and head of the forest force (HoFF) on February 19 and was subsequently re-engaged as Special Chief Secretary (Forest) by the Assam government.
The petitioner claimed that this is not the first instance of Yadava being accused of misusing his power. Two other petitions are pending before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) related to alleged illegal forest clearances for a Commando Battalion headquarters at Inner Line Reserve Forest in Hailakandi district and another battalion at Galecki Sivasagar district of Assam.
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The petition argues that the road construction lacks the mandatory approval from the Central Government. The petitioner made a plea to NGT to issue direction to govt to halt the construction immediately.
He also urged the tribunal to form a committee to assess the extent of environmental damage caused by the project and issue any other orders deemed necessary to protect the wildlife sanctuary.
The Barak Bhuban Wildlife Sanctuary is home to a variety of endangered flora and fauna, and the petitioner emphasizes the urgency of stopping the construction to prevent irreversible ecological damage.
On June 13, 2024, Northeast Now reported that the Assam Environment and Forest Department, under the leadership of the then-PCCF and HoFF M.K. Yadava, collaborated with the Public Works (Road) Department (PWD) to construct a road leading all the way to Bhuban Hill within the Barak Bhuban Wildlife Sanctuary.