Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Assam Environment and Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah is facing a wave of backlash from conservationists. They argue his push for higher revenue collection threatens the state's natural resources. Mallabaruah announced his agenda in Guwahati on Sunday. He oversees the Finance, Forest, and Mining departments. His stated goal is to plug gaps in current revenue systems.
The minister claims he wants to improve collection efficiency without hitting citizens with new taxes. He insists the government is only after what it is owed. Critics see it differently. They fear the profit-first mindset will lead to the overexploitation of timber and land. Environmental activist Apurba Ballav Goswami challenged the minister's stance. He argued that the government's priority should be protecting forests, particularly at a time when climate change and global warming are posing serious environmental challenges.
Activists point to the 1996 Supreme Court ruling that strictly limited tree felling in the Northeast to preserve fragile ecology. Dilip Nath, another activist, warned that focusing on income diverts energy from core tasks like stopping illegal encroachments and restoring degraded habitats. Critics are now calling on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to step in. They want a guarantee that conservation remains the department’s primary mandate.
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