Latest news with #Forest(Conservation)Act
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Gurgaon environmentalist moves NGT over alleged encroachment, illegal constructions by temple trust in Sector 54
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Monday sought the response of the Centre, the Haryana government, the State pollution control board, and a temple trust in connection with alleged environmental violations in the Aravallis at Sector 54 in Gurgaon. The matter, which will next be heard on October 29, deals with alleged illegal constructions and encroachment by the Kholi-waale Baba Temple Trust at Haiderpur Viran, behind Suncity. The applicant, Vaishali Rana, Trustee, Aravallis Bachao, moved the Principal Bench of the NGT at New Delhi claiming that the encroachments not only threaten fragile ecological zones but also contravene legal mandates restricting any non-forest activities on notified forest land. She has sought the removal of encroachments attributed to the temple trust, restoration of the demarcated forest area to its original state, and a direction to the relevant authorities to ensure that no further encroachment or construction is permitted at the site. The petition also asks for directions for periodic monitoring and enforcement to prevent recurrence. 'The illegal constructions, borewells, road laying, and concretisation of natural features within the Aravalli forest area are in blatant violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900 … encroachment on Protected Forest Land like expansion of the temple complex, cemented parking, metal sheds, and reconstruction of the road amount to illegal encroachment on protected forest land, which is impermissible under applicable forest and land preservation statutes,' the petitioner pointed out. The destruction of natural drainage and groundwater recharge systems due to the complete concretisation of a natural stormwater creek has also been flagged. Further, the petitioner has sought that the approximately 250-300 cattle, currently housed in the allegedly illegally constructed gaushala (cowshed) within the forest area by the Temple Trust, be safely relocated and rehabilitated to a lawful and appropriate facility. In an earlier petition filed before the NGT, Rana had highlighted the disappearance of ponds and water bodies at the Gwal Pahari and Badshahpur tehsils of Gurgaon.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Mizoram: Construction of NIT campus at Lengpui to resume after 6-year halt
Aizawl: Construction of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Mizoram campus at Lengpui near Aizawl will resume after a six-year halt, an official statement issued by the government on Friday said. NIT Mizoram, which opened in 2010, currently functions from a temporary campus in Aizawl ( The Mizoram government has deposited a penalty of ₹1.4 crore to the appropriate office of the union forest ministry, and construction will resume soon, the statement added. The permanent NIT campus project was stalled in 2017 after the Centre for Environment Protection filed a complaint with the National Green Tribunal (NGT), citing unauthorised use of the Tlawng Riverine Reserve Forest without mandatory clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. NIT Mizoram, which opened in 2010, currently functions from a temporary campus in Aizawl, which includes an administrative block and four academic blocks at Chaltlang, three hostels at Tanhril, and one hostel at Durtlang. The institute offers BTech, MTech, and PhD degrees. In 2017, the Centre for Environment Protection filed a complaint with a special bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), alleging encroachment on the Tlawng Riverine Reserve Forest without mandatory forest clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Also Read: Mizoram: Leading the way in education The Mizoram government later submitted a proposal for forest clearance under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for the diversion of 63.44 hectares of land for the construction of the NIT campus in October 2021. The proposal was placed before the Forest Advisory Committee in a meeting on June 13, 2022, which deferred the proposal and sought additional details from the state government. Also Read:Mizoram declared fully literate state under ULLAS initiative 'The state government applied for forest diversion clearance in 2021. By 2023, the government had agreed to deposit ₹20 crore as part of the forest compensation. However, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) later revised the amount to ₹1.4 crore after the intervention of Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma, which has now been deposited, clearing the way for construction to resume,' the official statement said. An amount of ₹669.75 crore was sanctioned for the establishment of the permanent NIT Mizoram campus. The Mizoram government is responsible for providing the land for the campus free of cost and free from encumbrances.
United News of India
6 days ago
- Business
- United News of India
No plan for IREL, HCL, NALCO merger into NCMC: Centre
New Delhi, July 24 (UNI) The Central government is yet to chalk out a plan for the merger of Indian Rare Earth Limited (IREL), Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) and National Aluminum Company Limited (NALCO) into a 'National Critical Minerals Corporation', Union Minister for Coal and Mines Kishan Reddy told the Lok Sabha. The union minister replying to a query said the Central Government through a notification on November 22, 2010 appointed a Commission of Inquiry under the Chairmanship of Justice M. B. Shah for the purpose of making inquiry of illegal mining of iron ore and manganese ore in contravention of the provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 or other rules or licenses or guidelines issued there under referred to as illegal mining. The Justice M.B. Shah Commission submitted the report to the Ministry of Mines, which was subsequently laid in the Parliament, the minister said. The Section 23C of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act, 1957 empowers the State Government to frame rules to prevent illegal mining, transportation and storage of minerals and for purposes connected therewith. Therefore, the control of illegal mining, transportation and storage of minerals and purposes connected therewith is primarily the responsibility of the State Government, added the minister. The Central Government supports and augments these efforts through policy initiatives from time to time. Some of the steps taken by the Central Government for the prevention and control of the frauds like fake transportation permits, under invoiced exports etc. are as under the MMDR Act, 1957 was amended through the MMDR (Amendment) Act, 2015, wherein Section 30B and 30C read with Section 21 and 23C, inter-alia, provide stringent punitive provisions for illegal mining, transportation and storage, added the minister. Altogether, 21 State Governments including Odisha have framed rules under section 23C of MMDR Act,1957 to curb illegal mining, transportation and storage of minerals. Further 22 State Governments including Odisha have set up Task Forces, specially constituted to control illegal mining and review the action taken by member departments for checking the illegal mining, transportation and storage activities, added the minister. The Ministry of Mines launched the Mining Surveillance System (MSS) in October 2016 through IBM. The MSS system detects likely incidences of illegal mining using space technology. The Ministry of Mines also issued guidelines on 3 October 2023 to major mineral rich States for prevention of misclassification of grades of iron ore and other minerals by using technology, added the minister. UNI XC SSP
New Indian Express
23-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
SC agrees to hear plea against proposed constructions in Satkosia Tiger Reserve
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a plea raising concerns over the alleged proposed constructions inside the Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Odisha. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and Joymalya Bagchi was urged by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal to hear the plea. The bench said it would hear the matter next week. Bansal raised concerns over reported permission granted by the local administration for eco-tourism related constructions within the protected area. "The district collector has issued such permissions for construction of an eco-tourism spot. How can this be permitted?" he said. "I am just fighting for forests," Bansal added. The Satkosia Tiger Reserve, spread across the districts of Angul, Cuttack, Nayagarh and Boudh in Odisha, is a crucial habitat for tigers, elephants, and several endangered species. The plea sought quashing of provisional no objection certificates (NOC) issued by district collectors of Angul, Nayagarh, Boudh and Cuttack for development works inside and around the Satkosia Tiger Reserve. The petitioner argued it was without jurisdiction and in violation of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the plea said, in April 2018 directed all states for mandatory delineation of eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) around tiger reserves. The plea said these directions clearly stipulated where a protected area formed part of the buffer, a minimum one kilometer ESZ must be demarcated around it. "There are multiple large-scale and systemic issues affecting the ecological and legal integrity of Satkosia Tiger Reserve, which require independent attention and urgent consideration of this court," it said. In line with the NTCA's April 2018 direction, the petitioner said, the Odisha government recently submitted a draft proposal for declaration of ESZ around Satkosia Tiger Reserve to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for final notification. "However, the said draft, if approved in its current form, will seriously compromise the ecological integrity and conservation dignity of the tiger reserve," it alleged. The proposed tourism-centric development activities in and around the tiger reserve, including the construction of high-impact infrastructure and grant of arbitrary NOCs, were said to be contrary to the precautionary principle and violate the statutory framework under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. "The zero-kilometre ESZ boundary proposed in parts of Satkosia Tiger Reserve violates NTCA's 2018 directive, which mandates a minimum 1 km buffer from core tiger habitat wherever the buffer is absent or disjunct," the plea added. It claimed the issuance of no objection certificates by district collectors and non-forest authorities for tourism infrastructure within and around a notified tiger reserve constituted an unlawful usurpation of statutory powers reserved for designated authorities under the Wildlife (Protection) Act and violates the binding directives of the apex court. The plea alleged the actions of state government and its agencies exhibited a deliberate pattern of undermining central environmental regulations through procedural shortcuts and executive overreach, including attempts to modify ESZ notifications to dilute their protective scope for commercial tourism purposes. It also sought a direction to the state to withdraw the draft ESZ proposal relating to Satkosia Tiger Reserve.
News18
23-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
SC agrees to hear plea against proposed constructions in Satkosia Tiger Reserve
Agency: PTI Last Updated: New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a plea raising concerns over the alleged proposed constructions inside the Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Odisha. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and Joymalya Bagchi was urged by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal to hear the plea. The bench said it would hear the matter next week. Bansal raised concerns over reported permission granted by the local administration for eco-tourism related constructions within the protected area. 'The district collector has issued such permissions for construction of an eco-tourism spot. How can this be permitted?" Bansal said. 'I am just fighting for forests," he added. The Satkosia Tiger Reserve, spread across the districts of Angul, Cuttack, Nayagarh and Boudh in Odisha, is a crucial habitat for tigers, elephants, and several endangered species. The plea sought quashing of provisional no objection certificates (NOC) issued by district collectors of Angul, Nayagarh, Boudh and Cuttack for development works inside and around the Satkosia Tiger Reserve. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the plea said, in April 2018 directed all states for mandatory delineation of eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) around tiger reserves. The plea said these directions clearly stipulated where a protected area formed part of the buffer, a minimum one kilometer ESZ must be demarcated around it. 'There are multiple large-scale and systemic issues affecting the ecological and legal integrity of Satkosia Tiger Reserve, which require independent attention and urgent consideration of this court," it said. In line with the NTCA's April 2018 direction, the petitioner said, the Odisha government recently submitted a draft proposal for declaration of ESZ around Satkosia Tiger Reserve to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for final notification. 'However, the said draft, if approved in its current form, will seriously compromise the ecological integrity and conservation dignity of the tiger reserve," it alleged. The proposed tourism-centric development activities in and around the tiger reserve, including the construction of high-impact infrastructure and grant of arbitrary NOCs, were said to be contrary to the precautionary principle and violate the statutory framework under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. 'The zero-kilometre ESZ boundary proposed in parts of Satkosia Tiger Reserve violates NTCA's 2018 directive, which mandates a minimum 1 km buffer from core tiger habitat wherever the buffer is absent or disjunct," the plea added. It claimed the issuance of no objection certificates by district collectors and non-forest authorities for tourism infrastructure within and around a notified tiger reserve constituted an unlawful usurpation of statutory powers reserved for designated authorities under the Wildlife (Protection) Act and violates the binding directives of the apex court. The plea alleged the actions of state government and its agencies exhibited a deliberate pattern of undermining central environmental regulations through procedural shortcuts and executive overreach, including attempts to modify ESZ notifications to dilute their protective scope for commercial tourism purposes. It also sought a direction to the state to withdraw the draft ESZ proposal relating to Satkosia Tiger Reserve. PTI SJK ABA ABA AMK AMK view comments First Published: July 23, 2025, 13:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
