NGT fines Meghalaya Rs 10,000 for not responding to forest land encroachment notice

Guwahati: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a Rs 10,000 fine on the Meghalaya government for failing to submit its response in a case regarding encroachments on forest land in India.

The tribunal, chaired by Justice Prakash Shrivastava with expert member A Senthil Vel, noted in its October 31 order that Meghalaya had not replied to a notice seeking its explanation.

The bench said the state neither filed its response nor appeared before the tribunal despite being duly served.

“We impose a cost of Rs 10,000 upon the state of Meghalaya for not complying with the orders of the tribunal, not appearing before the tribunal, and not filing the reply,” the order stated.

The fine follows the NGT taking suo motu notice of a January 2024 PTI report, which revealed that around 7,506 sq km of recorded forest, about five times the size of Delhi, had been encroached upon nationwide according to government records.

The tribunal had asked all states and Union territories for their responses.

The NGT directed Meghalaya to pay the fine within one week and gave an additional three weeks to submit its reply. The case will be heard again on February 2, 2026.