Guwahati, Feb 28: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has granted Stage-II forest clearance to regularize two Assam Police commando battalion camps built on forest land in Hailakandi and Sivasagar districts in violation of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980.

According to ministry documents, a cumulative penal net present value of Rs 20.99 crore was deposited into the state’s compensatory afforestation fund in January. Final approvals for the camps, covering 11.5 hectares in Hailakandi and 26 hectares in Sivasagar, were granted to Assam Police Housing Corporation Limited on February 20.

The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) had recommended in-principle approval in December, subject to conditions, including the payment of five times the penal net present value of the forest land. Under forest conservation laws, forest land cannot be diverted for non-forestry purposes without prior approval and payment of compensatory charges.

The final clearance comes with additional conditions and remains subject to ongoing cases before the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The NGT’s principal bench is examining the Hailakandi camp violations, while the eastern zone bench is hearing a case related to the Geleky forest camp in Sivasagar, filed by Assam-based environmental activist Rohit Choudhury.

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