Plea challenging approval to mining in Tikak Open Cast Project in Assam filed in NGT

A plea challenging approval to mining in Tikak Open Cast Project under Saleki Proposed Reserve Forest in Assam's Digboi has been filed in the National Green Tribunal.  The environment activists Pradip Bhuyan and Joydeep Bhuyan has challenged the recent approval by the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife(NBWL), granted to the proposal for use of 98.59 hectares of Reserve Forest land from Saleki Proposed reserve Forest. The petition, filed through advocate Sanjay Upadhyay, contends the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife, in its 57th Meeting dated April 7, 2020, without any legal or factual considerations, recommended the proposal, to regularise the violations under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, viz the illegally broken up area, for which it has no powers under the existing law.  "The State (Assam) government has not complied with the recommendations of the Forest Advisory Committee for carrying out the study according to Part -II of Form A, and the user agency continued its mining operations, unabated and unmoved by the directives of the authorities, " the plea said.   The petition said the recommendation of NBWL fails to consider that all statutory processes note that there is illegal mining and recommend action to be taken, yet grants it clearance and permits it to proceed to the next stage while blatantly ignoring the illegal mining activity.

It contended that the decision also violates the Environment Protection Act, 1986 as the concept of Ecologically Sensitive Zones/Ecologically Sensitive Areas is covered within the said Act.   It has sought directions to set aside NBWL clearance for the use of 98.59 hectares of reserve forest land from Saleki Proposed Reserve forest for the Tikak Open Cast Mining Project. The petition has also sought to ensure that no mining is allowed in Dehing-Patkai Elephant Reserve and direction to Assam government to submit action taken report pertaining to the penalties imposed on North-Eastern Coalfield for its illegal mining activities.

The Assam forest department had earlier slapped a penalty of Rs 43.25 crore on PSU major Coal India Ltd for carrying out "illegal mining" inside the reserve forest for 16 years from 2003. PTI PKS RKS RKS RKS.

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