Latest news with #Forest(Conservation)Act
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Despite SC ban illegal mining intensified near Kaziranga, says CEC report
The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has told the Supreme Court that illegal mining has continued and intensified in Assam's Parkup Pahar area near the Kaziranga National Park, despite a 2019 top court order banning all mining and related activities in and around the park's eco-sensitive zone. Kaziranga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to around 65 per cent of the endangered one-horned rhino population in the world. It forms part of an important wildlife corridor between the Brahmaputra floodplains and the Karbi Anglong hills. The Supreme Court, acting on earlier findings by the CEC, had prohibited all mining and related activities in this region to prevent degradation of critical wildlife habitats and forested landscapes. Based on a complaint from an anonymous government employee in Assam and field-level verification, the CEC submitted a fresh report dated May 30 to the SC, saying that mining activities in the region have "continued and intensified" despite the apex court's ban ordered on April 4, 2019. Rampant mining continues, particularly in the Parkup Pahar Range, a declared wildlife sanctuary forming the southern boundary of the Kaziranga National Park, the report said. The complaint received from the government employee in December 2024 contained Google Earth imagery from 2019 to 2023 and site-specific data. The images reportedly showed that mining, which had stopped following the SC's 2019 ban order, resumed and intensified after 2021. The CEO forwarded the complaint to the Assam forest and police departments, requesting a factual report. The principal chief conservator of forests, Assam, submitted a detailed report on February 5, outlining the actions taken, including the suspension of mining leases. The report confirmed that stone mining was occurring close to the Borjuri Waterfall and its surrounding streams, which flow towards Kaziranga. The CEC report also said the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) gave fresh permissions for dozens of mines in forest areas and in proposed eco-sensitive zones, violating the SC ban and without the required approval from the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife and the Central government under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The panel said KAAC had no authority to issue such permissions. The committee recommended that all mining and related activities in the Parkup Pahar area and the forested catchments be immediately stopped and no new leases be granted. It also asked KAAC to submit a detailed watershed drainage analysis report to delineate the catchment area and the eco-sensitive streams flowing into Kaziranga. The CEC also said the Assam government may approach the Gauhati High Court to seek review of its recent orders allowing mining in some cases, as the court had not been informed about the Supreme Court's 2019 directions. It instructed the KAAC to file quarterly status reports through the chief secretary of Assam and asked the DGP and the Karbi Anglong SP to take immediate and effective steps to ensure that no illegal mining and transportation of minerals from the area is allowed.
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Illegal mining near Kaziranga intensified despite SC ban: CEC report
NEW DELHI: The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has told the Supreme Court that illegal mining has continued and intensified in Assam's Parkup Pahar area near the Kaziranga National Park, despite a 2019 top court order banning all mining and related activities in and around the park's eco-sensitive zone. Kaziranga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to around 65 per cent of the endangered one-horned rhino population in the world. It forms part of an important wildlife corridor between the Brahmaputra floodplains and the Karbi Anglong hills. The Supreme Court, acting on earlier findings by the CEC, had prohibited all mining and related activities in this region to prevent degradation of critical wildlife habitats and forested landscapes. Based on a complaint from an anonymous government employee in Assam and field-level verification, the CEC submitted a fresh report dated May 30 to the SC, saying that mining activities in the region have "continued and intensified" despite the apex court's ban ordered on April 4, 2019. "Rampant mining continues, particularly in the Parkup Pahar Range, a declared wildlife sanctuary forming the southern boundary of the Kaziranga National Park," the report said. The complaint received from the government employee in December 2024 contained Google Earth imagery from 2019 to 2023 and site-specific data. The images reportedly showed that mining, which had stopped following the SC's 2019 ban order, resumed and intensified after 2021. The CEO forwarded the complaint to the Assam forest and police departments, requesting a factual report. The principal chief conservator of forests, Assam, submitted a detailed report on February 5, outlining the actions taken, including the suspension of mining leases. The report confirmed that stone mining was occurring close to the Borjuri Waterfall and its surrounding streams, which flow towards Kaziranga. The CEC report also said the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) gave fresh permissions for dozens of mines in forest areas and in proposed eco-sensitive zones, violating the SC ban and without the required approval from the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife and the Central government under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The panel said KAAC had no authority to issue such permissions. The committee recommended that all mining and related activities in the Parkup Pahar area and the forested catchments be immediately stopped and no new leases be granted. It also asked KAAC to submit a detailed watershed drainage analysis report to delineate the catchment area and the eco-sensitive streams flowing into Kaziranga. The CEC also said the Assam government may approach the Gauhati High Court to seek review of its recent orders allowing mining in some cases, as the court had not been informed about the Supreme Court's 2019 directions. It instructed the KAAC to file quarterly status reports through the chief secretary of Assam and asked the DGP and the Karbi Anglong SP to take "immediate and effective steps to ensure that no illegal mining and transportation of minerals from the area is allowed".
India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Himachal floats tender for waste management plant as Kasol faces garbage crisis
The Himachal Pradesh government has floated a tender for construction of the long-delayed solid waste management plant at Kasol after an India Today investigation revealed how waste was being hastily buried in pits inside the forest. The tender, of Rs 30 lakh, has been floated by the rural development department, which has set a two-month deadline for the completion of the move came as videos went viral on social media showing a mountain of garbage and plastic bags dumped in a forest in Kasol, a popular tourist hub nestled in the picturesque Parvati Valley. It triggered widespread outrage on social media. The Kullu deputy commissioner said the site where the video was shot was not an official dumping site. The state pollution control board has issued a notice to the vendor and will also impose a fine for dumping garbage at an unauthorised location. Waste was also found to be dumped at another location without informing the rural development department. The deputy commissioner said the Special Area Development Authority (SADA) could also be fined for the official stressed that cleanup operations were now underway on a war footing. However, the official said it would take a few months to streamline solid waste management incidents, within a demarcated wildlife sanctuary zone, have exposed serious violations by local authorities of the terms of land government had granted approval (stage 1) for diverting 0.1982 hectares of forest land for setting up a solid waste management plant at Kasol under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. It came with stringent the key pre-conditions were the payment of Compensatory Afforestation (CA) and Net Present Value (NPV) charges, submission of a Forest Rights Act (FRA) certificate from the district collector, and an undertaking that no other approved proposal in the division was pending for conditions include no change to the legal status of forest land, restrictions on tree felling, protection of wildlife, establishment of a green belt, onsite waste treatment, prohibition of labour camps, Reel
Deccan Herald
3 days ago
- Deccan Herald
Sharavathi pumped storage project: Karnataka mum on KPCL 'violations'
Documents show that the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) nodal officer last month raised a specific question on any violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Central Empowered Committee to inspect Mohali villages over forest, wildlife violations
Acting on a complaint regarding violation of forest and wildlife laws in villages, such as Karoran, Nada, Masol, and adjoining areas in Mohali district, the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), constituted by the Supreme Court, is scheduled to visit the region on Monday at 9 am. The CEC will assess the extent of damage caused to forest land, wildlife and the local environment. It will also evaluate the timely action taken by government departments, and based on its findings, will recommend appropriate measures. The said villages under scrutiny fall within areas governed by the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), 1900. These areas are also protected under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and the Supreme Court's orders. Even during the process of delisting certain areas from protected status, the court had explicitly banned any commercial activity without prior approval from the Government of India. Despite these restrictions, large-scale violations—particularly illegal hill-cutting—have allegedly continued unabated for several years. These activities have led to the degradation of ecologically sensitive and biodiversity-rich areas in the Shivalik Hills. Environmentalists and local residents have accused the forest department, district administration and urban agencies like Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), along with panchayati raj institutions, of failing to prevent these encroachments, raising concerns over the alleged influence of the land mafia in the region. The Shivalik forests are known for their ecological significance, and are home to many endangered plant and animal species, several of which are listed as threatened under the (International Union for Conservation of Nature) IUCN Red List. The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) was constituted by the Supreme Court of India in 2002 (and reconstituted in 2008) to assist in matters related to forest, wildlife conservation and flag cases of official non-compliance with its orders related to conservation. It reports to the Union environment ministry. The committee came into existence after a landmark Supreme Court judgment, dated December 12, 1996, in a 1995 case. The apex court ruled that the term 'forest' should be interpreted in its dictionary sense, regardless of land ownership. This means any land that is forest in character on the ground must be treated as such and cannot be used for non-forest activities without prior approval from the Government of India, in accordance with the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and other applicable laws.
