Skip to content Skip to navigation

PIL against illegal saw mills and felling of trees in Meghalaya

The illegal felling of trees and illegal operation of Sawmills in Meghalaya has assumed such wide and significant proportion that the said illegal operation of saw mills and also illegal felling of trees has resulted in severe public outcry in the State. The common conscious citizens of the country have reasons to be anxious in the face of gross mismanagement of the entire forest cover and resources of the State. The entire episode has now attained higher proportions in view of some recent developments which prima facie reveal the intention of the authorities manning the affairs of the State to help in achievement of undue gains to a few individuals at the cost of the Environment, depleting the Forest resources and Public Interest, and environmental safety.

A PIL was filed by Advocate Nayanjyoti Medhi on behalf of the Garo Students Union through the Khasi Hills Zone President Sanjeeb A Sangma and General Secretary Alex R Marak praying for urgent judicial intervention of the Gauhati High Court into the illegal operation of sawmills and also illegal felling of trees in the State of Meghalaya, more particularly in the Garo Hills region and the subsequent inaction by the department of forest and other authorities in the State of Meghalaya to ensure strict compliance of the Hon'ble Apex Court's orders passed in W.P 202 of 1995 [T.N. Godavarman Thirumulkpad versus Union of India]. It was prayed on behalf of the Garo Students Union that if Gauhati High Court does not urgently interfere to close down the illegal saw mills operating in the State of Meghalaya and monitor the entire conservation of natural forests, protection, forest rehabilitation, regeneration, afforestation, reforestation and new plantations, with a view to maintaining or restoring the ecological balance, the State will soon have depleted the entire forest cover leading to environmental imbalances of catastrophic proportions. The Division Bench comprising of Chief Justice Shri Jasti Chelameshwar and Justice Hrishikesh Roy has admitted the petition and issued notice to the Government of Meghalaya which was accepted by Government Advocate of Meghalaya Sri Ratul Goswami.

Further details may be had from Sanjeeb A Sangma at +91 98630 22587 or +91 94363 13284

Comments

MD AFTAR HUSSAIN CHOWDHURY's picture

Sir, It is very nice that our people is now environment conscious. Sir in my locality (Doboka, Nagaon, Assam) there also many illegal saw mills running. But the Ranger takes monthly ransom money from the owner and they are now destroying our valuable forest.

Pages

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

20 Udalguri child scientists to attend state NCSC at Silchar

29 Sep 2010 - 1:45pm | editor
The names of twenty qualified child scientists of Udalguri district have been announced. The National Children's Science Congress Udalguri district session was held at Ramswarup Agarwalla...

Burn injury on victim’s body: NCW

15 Jul 2012 - 4:50am | editor
The National Commission for Women delegation on Saturday spotted cigarette burn injuries on her body when they met the molestation victim in Guwahati. Talking to reporters on Saturday, NCW member...

Washington DC celebrates Modi's victory

5 Jun 2014 - 2:23pm | Hitesh Kalita
Overseas Friend of BJP is celebrating the Narendra Modi's victory in various places of America, as part of this Overseas Friend of BJP celebrated the Narendra Modi's in the Hindu Temple, Washington D...

Assam film maker makes new venture

3 Aug 2017 - 10:38am | AT News
Children’s Film Society, India (CFSI)’s newest production “Ishu” is a feature film that will instantly take the viewer to a world of a kid whose innocent and happy-go-lucky world turns topsy-turvy...

Other Contents by Author

Assam governor J B Patnaik on Tuesday said that the ongoing orgy of violence is not a fit case to impose president’s rule in the state. Addressing a press conference In New Delhi, Patnaik appealed to the people of all sections to exercise restraint and to help the government restore normalcy in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri district where at least 33 people lost their lives.
Hundreds of people representing various minority organizations staged dharna in front of the Assam Bhawan in New Delhi, on Tuesday demanding steps to ensure safety of the minority people in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts. Shouting anti-government slogans, the protestors demanded deployment of more security forces to combat violence that spread to rural areas and neighbouring districts. Protesters said that the clash confines to only the Bodoland area. They alleged that the incident has been taking place for the couple of days even as no action has been taken.
Three members of the Broadcast Editors' Association on Tuesday called on Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in Guwahati and discussed the role of a section of media in the gory GS Road molestation case. Consisting of renowned journalists NK Singh Dibang and Ashutosh, the three member delegation discussed media role in building public opinion, competition among media houses and portrayal of regional news in national media. Later, Gogoi told the reporters that the discussion was positive.
Ethnic frenzy in three lower Assam districts has gone from bad to worse. The death toll has mounted to 32 on Tuesday. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has written to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and Defence Minister AK Antony asking for more paramilitary forces and troops to rein in the situation. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi called up the chief minister to get an update of the situation. According to information, around 40,000 people have fled their homes looking for safer areas. In Kokrajhar alone 19 people were killed killed in Kokrajhar and 12 others were killed in Chirang and adjoining areas.Incidents of violence are taking place mainly in the...
In a fresh development, a senior police officer in the troubled torn Chirang district has put in his papers caught in an awkward situation after the orgy of violence erupted in the district. Bijni Sub-Divisional Police Officer Narayan Das on Tuesday resigned from office saying that he was unable to control riots. Violence spread to the district on Sunday two days after it erupted in Kokrajhar. Meanwhile, shoot-at-sight orders and an indefinite curfew have been clamped in the district. A night curfew has been clamped from 6 evening to 6 morning. Miscreants set on fire hundreds of houses after the villagers fled to safer areas.
Train services to and from Assam remain severely disrupted on Tuesday following the ethnic clash in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts where death toll has gone up to 26. Over 30,000 passengers have been remaining stranded at different places following violence where over 300 houses were reduced to ashes in over 30 villages. According to NF Railway, 11 down trains from Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Kamakhya railway stations have been cancelled. Altogether 21 trains, including the Rajdhani Express, have been halted at different places along the route leaving more than 20,000 passengers stranded. Several passengers have been injured when miscreants pelted stones at the Guwahati-bound...
TV journalist Gauravjyoti Neog was remanded to judicial custody after he was produced before the chief judicial magistrate in Guwahati on Tuesday. Neog, who filmed the GS Road molestation incident with the help of Amarjyoti Kalita was on Saturday was remanded to 3 days police custody which ended on Monday. He was arrested on Friday evening on the basis of some glaring evidence procured from several sources. Notably, other 14 people accused in the case have already been sent to jail a couple of days.
Railway Minister Mukul Roy on Tuesday sought deployment of adequate forces in Assam to ensure safety of passengers in the trouble torn Kokrajhar and Chirang districts. In a letter to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Roy said that the violence-hit areas in lower Assam need assistance to ensure safety for the railway passengers.
Security forces Tuesday shot dead four miscreants in Kokrajhar. With this the death toll in group clash in two districts has gone up to 25. Kokrajhar and Chirang district administrations are yet to lift the curfew clamped on Sunday. Additional security forces have arrived in both the troubled torn districts. Police opened blank fire on Tuesday to contain unrest. Curfew is in force in Gouripur, Golakganj, Bilasipara and Chapar areas. More than 40,000 people have abandoned their homes and taken shelter in relief camps set up by the district administration. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nilamoni Sen Deka and Revenue Minister Prithibi Majhi have been camping in the districts. Director General...
Assam police on Tuesday got transit remand of Amar Jyoti Kalita a day after the main accused in the Guwahati molestation case was arrested in Varansi. Kalita was remanded to five days police custody when he was produced before a local court in Varansi on Tuesday in presence of a team of Assam police. Kalita would be brought back to Guwahati on Wednesday to be grilled in this connection. He and Gaurav Jyoti Neog, a reporter from a news channel filmed the molestation.