Guwahati, Sept 15: Vedanta’s Cairn Oil and Gas has secured an in-principle approval for oil and gas exploration inside the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam from the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

This approval allows the multinational corporation to drill for oil and gas on 4.49 hectares of land inside the Sanctuary land where the Hoolock Gibbons, India’s only ape species and already endangered due to habitat loss, roam free. Protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the gibbons now find their sanctuary at risk of further fragmentation, raising concerns among environmentalists and conservationists about the survival of this fragile species.

The FAC’s decision came after the Assam government submitted an online application under Section 2(1)(ii) of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, seeking clearance for the non-forestry use of this ecologically sensitive land. Vedanta’s Cairn Oil & Gas division plans to carry out drilling operations in Jorhat district, raising fears that the delicate balance of the ecosystem could be irreversibly harmed.

The approval has sparked outrage among environmental advocates, who warn that any disturbance to the sanctuary’s ecosystem could have devastating consequences for the Hoolock Gibbons, which is already endangered.

Despite these concerns, the FAC has granted in-principle (stage-I) clearance to Vedanta based on key recommendations from Assam’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Chief Wildlife Warden, as well as from the regional office of the MoEFCC in Shillong.

However, their endorsements were conditioned on strict environmental and safety safeguards, particularly given the catastrophic oil well blow-out in Baghjan in 2020, which devastated local communities and ecosystems. The FAC highlighted the importance of learning from the Baghjan incident, ensuring that this project adheres to rigorous safety protocols to prevent similar disasters.

As part of the approval, Vedanta is permitted to fell 17 trees to make way for infrastructure necessary for the exploration. Of the 4.4998 hectares of forest land allocated for the project, 3.0598 hectares will be used to construct an access road to the drilling site, while 1.44 hectares will be used for the drilling itself.

Vedanta’s approval also includes a license for the extraction of oil and natural gas that remains valid until 2027.

In its meeting on July 4, the FAC deferred its decision on Vedanta Ltd’s oil exploration project. However, despite this deferral at the central level, Vedanta Ltd had already secured approvals from the Assam Forest Department and the regional office of the MoEFCC in Shillong.

According to the minutes of the July 4 meeting, the FAC acknowledged that the project had been approved at both the state and regional levels, permitting the diversion of 4.4998 hectares of forest land within the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the sanctuary. The project’s approval at these levels allows for the use of the land for non-forestry purposes, including oil and gas exploration activities, despite the FAC’s deferred decision.

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