The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) over proposed felling of 1,05,092 number of trees to facilitate an opencast coal mine in Odisha’s Angul district.
Nine villagers of Chhendipada and Saluikhaman had moved NGT’s Eastern Zone Bench stating that there was illegal transfer of forestland in favour of SCCL for the purpose of Naini Opencast Coal Project without following the due process of Forest Conservation Act 1980.
The SCCL, a public sector unit jointly owned by Government of Telangana and Government of India is preparing to mine areas in Chhendipada Tahasil of Angul
According to petitioners, SCCL has now started felling of trees in some parts of the forest for facilitating movement of vehicles to the site.
“The Divisional Forest Officer, Angul wrote a letter to the General Manager, SCCL for handing over the Chhendipada Reserve Forest land measuring an area of 643.095 ha. It is alleged that in Chhendipada Reserve Forest around 1,05,092 trees are to be felled while in revenue forest 1,087 trees are proposed to be cut down. The number of trees to be uprooted in non-forest area is 327. It is completely illegal,” said Shankar Pani, counsel for villagers.
Mr. Pani elaborated, “in the letter of the DFO, Angul, it is mentioned that the approval granted under Section (2) of the Forest Conservation Act 1980 is subject to the fulfillment of the conditions as mentioned in the Stage-I and Stage-II approval orders of MoEF&CC.”
The conditions of Stage-I and Stage-II approval in the case was not fulfilled by the project proponent particularly condition number (B) 13 of Stage-II clearance which requires settlement of forest rights, written consent of Gram Sabha and full compliance of Office Memorandum, he pointed out.
However, the land was transferred to SCCL illegally for non forestry use ignoring non compliance of condition 13, alleged Mr. Pani.
The villagers further alleged that the user agency (SCCL) was asked to deposit Net Present Value (NPV) of the forestland for the project in full whereas it had not been done.
The NGT bench comprising of Judicial Member Amit Sthalekar and Expert Member Arun Kumar Verma directed MoEF&CC, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and SCCL to file counter-affidavits within four weeks. The next date of hearing is scheduled on February 21 next.
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