A CORRESPONDENT
NAGAON: A recent investigation uncovered widespread destruction of forest resources in Doboka Reserved Forest areas due to alleged illegal stone mining. Despite having permission for only one hectare of land, a group of lessee or contractors has been exporting several kilometres of forest land violating environmental and forest conservation laws..This serious allegation has been brought by Dilip Nath, an RTI activist of the state, while addressing a press conference at Nagaon today here.
He however alleged that due to this unabated illegal mining activities by those lessee or contractors had led to massive deforestation in the areas, flouting the Compensatory Afforestation (CAMPA) scheme, which requires planting trees in an alternative area equivalent to the forest land used for mining.
Bringing this serious allegation, the RTI activist said that one A Laskar and Z Rahman had been granted environmental clearance for stone mining in specific areas, but they allegedly exceeded their limits, destroying vast tracts of forest land and also flouted several laws including the forest conservation act 1980, environmental protection act 1986 and mines and minerals act 1957.
Referring to the approval to A Laskar for mining stone in the reserved forest for a financial year, the RTI activist said that Laskar was granted permission for stone mining in one hectare of land in 2017. But he allegedly destroyed several kilometres of forest land year after year since then, he said, adding that similarly, Rahman was also granted environmental clearance in 2018 for mining stone in one hectare of forest land within a financial year.
But he too exceeded the limits, cutting through several hundred acres of hills and destroying forest land year after year, which apparently poses a serious threat to the biodiversity and other wildlife, he added further.
The RTI activist, during the press conference, demanded the intervention of the Chief minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma in this regard and also urged to check satellite images for evidence.
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