Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Pointing out that the New Bongaigaon to Kamakhya station railway track doubling project within the Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary or its Eco Sensitive Zone has not yet been granted either forest or wildlife clearance, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the respondents to file their responses within two months.
The direction was issued by the corum of Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, Judicial Member, and Ishwar Singh, Expert Member, in an original application (No.138/2026/EZ) filed by Durlav Talukdar.
The applicant has raised grievances regarding the grave ecological impact of the unauthorised felling of trees in the Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary and its surrounding Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) by the ongoing New Bongaigaon – Goalpara Town – Kamakhya railway track doubling project. The applicant submitted that Deepor Beel is a Ramsar wetland and notified wildlife sanctuary that constitutes a critical elephant corridor and biodiversity hotspot. It functions as a critical freshwater source, supporting rich aquatic biodiversity, migratory and resident bird populations, and numerous fragile habitats. The wetland also provides vital ecosystem services for Guwahati, acting as a natural flood buffer during the monsoon and sustaining local livelihoods and hydrological stability. Despite conditions set by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) on February 22, 2024, requiring minimum felling of trees, approximately 200 trees have been earmarked, and about 100 mature and century-old trees have already been chopped down in direct contravention of these conditions.
The applicant further submitted that the project proposal on the Parivesh portal seeks forest and wildlife clearance for the diversion of only 0.52 hectares of forest land within the sanctuary, out of a total requirement of 13.31 hectares. However, the remaining 12.79 hectares, which fall within the default ESZ, have neither supporting documents nor any proposal uploaded on the platform. This omission raises serious compliance concerns. While applications for clearances have been filed on the Parivesh portal, the project has not yet been granted either forest or wildlife clearance, as the applications are still pending in the processing stages.
After hearing the advocate for the applicant and going through the material on record, the Tribunal observed that, prima facie, the averments made in the application raise substantial questions relating to the environment arising out of the implementation of the enactments specified in Schedule-I to the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010.
In view of the above, the Tribunal directed that notice of the application along with copies of the documents attached with the same should be issued to the respondents.
The Tribunal further directed that responses by the respondents may be filed within two months, listing the matter on August 21, 2026, for further hearing.
Earlier, in his petition, the petitioner prayed to the Tribunal to direct the respondent authorities to immediately halt all tree felling activities related to the New Bongaigaon – Kamakhya via Goalpara Town Doubling Project within the Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary or its Eco Sensitive Zone until comprehensive Forest and Wildlife clearances covering the entire project are lawfully obtained; to direct the respondent Railway Authorities to adhere to the strict conditions imposed by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) to protect the Asiatic elephant corridor connecting the Rani and Garbhanga Reserve Forests to the Deepor Beel wetland; to assess the feasibility of translocation of trees instead of felling under the SOP of the State Government and adopt the least ecologically damaging alternatives; and/or to declare that the piecemeal assessment and selective upload of proposals on the Parivesh platform, which ignores the 12.79 hectares of the ESZ, is legally flawed and direct the authorities to conduct a comprehensive environmental scrutiny of the entire 13.31 hectares to be diverted for the project.
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