The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on July 4, 2025 directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Forest Survey of India and the principal chief conservator of forests and head of forest force, West Bengal, to submit their response regarding the shrinking forest cover in the Jungle Mahal region. The respondents have been instructed to file their reply before the eastern bench of the NGT.
The matter has been registered suo motu based on a news report titled Largest green zone in south Bengal, Jungle Mahal’s forest cover shrinks by more than half: Study, published by newspaper The Telegraph Online on June 5, 2025.
The case concerns a reported decline in dense forest cover, specifically of traditional sal trees, between 1992 and 2022 in the Jungle Mahal region, identified a study by a research scholar. Sal (Shorea robusta) is a vital species in the lateritic soils of Jungle Mahal, particularly across the four districts of Jhargram, West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura.
The decline was attributed to the expansion of agricultural land, roads and human settlements. In Deluha village of Midnapore Sadar block, for example, forest cover reportedly reduced from 1.2 square kilometre in 1992. It was noted that forest-dwellers were compelled to clear sal trees to make way for agriculture as a means of survival.
The article further stated that the decline in sal forest cover has adversely impacted the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities, especially tribal populations.
NGT on July 3, 2025 directed that notices be issued to the relevant authorities in response to allegations of encroachment and environmental degradation of a government-owned natural nullah (stream) in East Singhbhum, Jharkhand.
The eastern bench of NGT issued notices to Jharkhand government and the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board. It also directed the formation of a fact-finding committee comprising the deputy commissioner of East Singhbhum and a senior scientist from the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board. The committee has been tasked with inspecting the site and submitting a fact-finding report.
The application, filed by Ram Prakash Gupta, alleged the nullah originated from Sundernagar and flows through Birsanagar before joining the Subarnarekha River, forming a crucial part of the region’s natural drainage and ecological system.
The stream is vital for the local community, benefiting residents of approximately 30 mohallas, including adivasi families, who depend on it for agriculture, dairy farming and fishing, it said. The letter alleged that untreated domestic sewage and solid waste are routinely discharged into the nullah, leading to severe pollution of both the water and the surrounding area.
Further, the application alleged that around 25 individuals, wearing uniforms marked “SRT”, unlawfully entered the area, felled mature trees and encroached upon public land. In response, Gupta submitted a representation to the state chief minister. Following this, on July 6, 2021, the senior secretary to the chief minister wrote to the district magistrate of East Singhbhum, directing appropriate action.
On July 3, 2025, the western Bench of the NGT directed that a matter concerning illegal dumping and the destruction of mangroves in the Balkum area of Thane district, Maharashtra, be taken up on August 21, 2025.
The district magistrate of Thane has been instructed to ensure that a representative of the authority is present on the next hearing date, along with a reply affidavit.
The Tribunal took suo motu cognisance of a report published in the newpaper Mid-Day on April 6, 2025, titled Illegal waste dumping is killing Balkum mangroves: Eco-warrior’s complaints. The article highlighted issues concerning illegal dumping by unidentified individuals, resulting in the destruction of mangroves and the gradual filling in of coastal wetlands.