Supreme Court pulls up Mizoram, NHIDCL for bypassing forest laws in development projects

Guwahati: The Supreme Court has reprimanded the Mizoram government and the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) for approving development projects within Mizoram's Riverine and Roadside Reserved Forests without obtaining mandatory approvals from the state's Forest Department.

A Supreme Court bench led by Justices B.R. Gavai and Sandeep Mehta expressed strong disapproval and issued notices to both the Mizoram Government and the NHIDCL.

They were surprised that the Mizoram government did not actively defend a 2021 Gauhati High Court decision that revoked notifications reducing the protected area of these forests by 1,929.7 square kilometers.

The Court also raised concerns about the apparent disregard for environmental regulations.

Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, representing the Mizoram petitioners, informed the Court that the state's Environment, Forests, and Climate Change Secretary authorized development work in these protected forests without following proper procedures as mandated by the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.

This Act aims to safeguard forests from unnecessary destruction and promote environmental sustainability.

Bansal further argued that the actions not only violated the Forest Conservation Act but also ignored a decision made during a meeting led by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and the Principal Secretary of Mizoram's Environment, Forests, and Climate Change Department.

This meeting specifically resolved to maintain the entire 1,929.7 sq km area under the Riverine Reserved Forest notification as a protected forest.

The Supreme Court has set the next hearing for July 24th. Both the Mizoram government and NHIDCL must submit their responses by that date.