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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) August 21, 2024 directed the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to submit an affidavit detailing its position on extensive encroachment of forest land in Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Sonitpur district of Assam, which has been ongoing for years.
The affidavit should consider the report submitted by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Assam, on July 15, 2024. Additionally, the NGT's eastern zone bench directed the Chief Secretary of Assam to re-file his affidavit, which was found to be defective, within four weeks.
The Principal Chief Conservator of Forest's affidavit indicated that approximately 300,000 people have encroached upon the area, clearing lowland evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, constructing permanent houses and cultivating commercial crops such as betel nut trees, coconut, rubber and tea, along with agricultural crops.
It was also mentioned that around 23,028 claims have been filed under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 in Charduar Reserve Forest, Balipara Reserve Forest and Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary.
A chart included in the affidavit shows that about 50,241 hectares of forest land in the reserve forest / protected areas are under encroachment out of a total area of 73,524.86 hectares.
Ongoing and consistent surveillance of the Dongia reservoir reserve forest area in Pipri, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, was being conducted to deter any future illegal and prohibited activities.
This was stated in the affidavit filed by the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Renukoot, Sonbhadra on August 22, 2024. The affidavit was in response to an NGT order dated May 10, 2024.
The issue of unlawful encroachment involving the felling of forest trees for various illicit activities, posing a threat to the reserve forest, wildlife and aquatic animals, involved Chairman Digvijay Pratap Singh and the executive officer of Nagar Panchayat Pipri in the Dongia reservoir reserve forest, Sonbhadra.
The affidavit noted that the reserve forest is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including deer, leopards, porcupines, wolves, peacocks, langurs and monkeys, while the reservoir area is inhabited by crocodiles that have a basking site on an island in the middle of the reservoir.
The DFO's report confirmed that illegal activities and encroachments were being carried out by the Chairman, the executive officer, and their relatives in the reserve forest area.
The court was informed that the Divisional Forest Officer, Renukoot, Forest Division, Renukoot, Sonbhadra, has taken action and prepared a report detailing the current situation and developments in the reserve forest area.
The illegal road extension work has been halted. Illegal tree cutting, installation of iron sheets and gates, and encroachment were also being carried out by Pradeep Kumar Singh, Vijay Bahadur Singh, executive officer, Nagar Panchayat Pipri-Sonbhadra, Digvijay Singh and Anil Kumar. As soon as the forest department became aware of the illegal encroachments, strict action was taken.
NGT August 22, 2024 ordered a four-member joint committee to present a report on the pollution of a pond in Dhaliawas village, Haryana within eight weeks.
The tribunal emphasised that the committee must adhere to its previous directive from October 11, 2023. A miscellaneous application was filed based on a report dated April 19, 2024. It was signed by the technical advisor from the Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority following NGT's October 11, 2023 order.
The original application raised concerns about the pond's water contamination in Dhaliawas village, alleging that human waste, household sewage, dumps, effluents and bio-waste were polluting the pond.
The tribunal's order from October 11, 2023 established a four-member joint committee tasked with inspecting the pond, obtaining a water analysis report, identifying the pollution sources and submitting a report.
However, the committee has not submitted any report as directed by the court. The April 19, 2024 report lacks signatures from the joint committee members and does not indicate that the committee visited the site, identified the pollution sources, or obtained a water analysis report. Thus, the tribunal's order has not been followed, the NGT order stated.