Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: The National Green Tribunal hit the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council with a 25,000 rupee fine. The council failed to show up for a case about destruction in the Daldali Reserved Forest. The Eastern Zone Bench issued the order on October 9, 2026. The council must pay the registrar in Kolkata within one month.
Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and members Dr A. Senthil Vel and Ishwar Singh signed the order for Original Application No. 88/2025/EZ. Advocate Vikram Rajkhowa represents the applicant, Uttam Bathari. The tribunal noted that the council received notice via the Deputy Commissioner but ignored it. The bench stated, "proceedings before the Tribunal could not be treated as ordinary adversarial civil litigation in which a respondent could simply remain absent and face ex-parte proceedings."
The court now demands the Principal Secretary of the council attend the next hearing on December 11, 2026. They must bring all relevant records. The tribunal gave the council one last chance to file a response. This dispute involves allegations of massive deforestation and habitat loss inside the protected area. Daldali gained its reserve status on October 1, 1933, following a 1933 notification under the Assam Forest Regulation of 1891.
A joint committee formed on May 30, 2025, remains tasked with investigating the damage. The group includes officials from the Assam Forest Department, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Nagaland Department of Land Records and Survey. The Union Ministry acts as the lead agency. The tribunal expects answers by the December deadline.
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