Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Environmental activist Rohit Chowdhury is pushing the Union Environment Ministry for an independent probe into Assam Special Chief Secretary M.K. Yadava. Chowdhury claims the state government ignored federal requests to report on the illegal diversion of forest land. Three specific areas are under the microscope: Daldali, Biswanath, and Kundil Kalia Reserve Forests.
Chowdhury first raised these red flags on September 27, 2025. The Ministry asked the state for a report on October 27, 2025, and followed up again on May 5, 2026. A recent RTI filing confirms the Assam government failed to submit the requested paperwork. Officials remain silent.
Separately, Chowdhury flagged illegal mining in the Parkup Pahar Range. This area sits within the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Elephant Reserve, a sensitive zone bordering the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. The complaint alleges the state violated a Supreme Court order from April 12, 2019. Despite this, the Ministry sent the complaint back to Yadava for review on November 6, 2026. Scientist Charan Jeet Singh issued the directive.
Chowdhury finds this logic flawed. He pointed to two May 2025 Ministry letters stating that Yadava, then the PCCF and HoFF, lacked the authority to greenlight land diversion without federal approval. These documents branded the actions as "gross violations of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980." The letters ordered local officers to launch legal action within 45 days. Nothing happened. Chowdhury argues the Ministry's habit of referring complaints back to the accused officials destroys accountability. He now wants the Union Minister to step in and launch an outside investigation.
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