Guwahati: The Kolkata bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a strong directive to the Assam government, demanding the removal of encroachments from a staggering 4,240 hectares of forest land within the Kamrup (Metropolitan) district, which encompasses Guwahati.
The NGT has set a deadline of the end of December 2026 for this large-scale eviction.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
According to the official order, the NGT bench comprising judicial member Justice B Amit Sthalekar and expert member Arun Kumar Verma has instructed the Assam Chief Secretary and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) to ensure swift action and submit a comprehensive action-taken report on the complete clearing of the encroached area by December 31, 2026.
The order explicitly states, “Take expeditious steps to remove the encroachments and ensure the complete clearing of the entire 4240.04 hectares of encroached forest land in Kamrup (M).”
The NGT’s intervention originated from a suo motu application filed by its New Delhi bench in November of the previous year.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
This action was based on a concerning news report published in a Guwahati-based newspaper highlighting the extensive encroachment on forest land in the district.
The NGT subsequently transferred the case to its eastern zone branch in Kolkata later that month.
The news report detailed how encroachers had encroached upon a significant portion of forests, including ecologically vital hills like Fatasil, South Kalapahar, Jalukbari, Gotanagar, Hengrabari, Sarania, and Garbhanga, situated within and around Guwahati, the largest city in Northeast India.
In response to the NGT’s concerns, Assam’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Head of Forest Force submitted an affidavit in March of this year.
The affidavit acknowledged that the Kamrup (M) district has 12 reserved forests covering 28,380.09 hectares, with approximately 4,240.40 hectares currently under encroachment.
Authorities identified South Kalapahar, Fatasil, Hengrabari, Gotanagar, Garbhanga, Marakdola, West Apricola, and Matapahar reserved forests as the primary areas of encroachment.
The affidavit further stated that between 2022-23 and 2024-25, authorities conducted 21 eviction drives in these areas, which resulted in the clearing of a mere 3.5 hectares of forest land.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the slow progress, the NGT observed in its order, “Authorities state that certain encroachment drives have been carried out, but the recovered land comprises a minuscule percentage of the total encroached land, which renders such anti-encroachment drives completely futile.”
Drawing upon previous rulings by the Supreme Court on similar matters, the NGT bench firmly directed the Assam government to ensure the complete removal of all encroachments from the identified 4,240 hectares of forest land by the end of 2026.