Guwahati: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has reprimanded the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) of Assam for issuing environmental clearances (ECs) in blatant disregard of Supreme Court guidelines.
The Tribunal has now directed SEIAA to explain its actions and submit an affidavit detailing any remedial measures it has taken.
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The issue concerns the clearance of sand, stone, and gravel mining projects, locally known as “mahals” in Assam’s Udalguri district.
SEIAA approved at least three ECs for these sites before finalizing the District Survey Report (DSR), a key document required by law.
According to a Supreme Court directive, only a valid and approved DSR can form the basis for granting ECs, and a draft version cannot justify such approvals.
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Despite this, SEIAA proceeded with approvals on the assumption that the finalized DSR would later include the relevant mining areas.
In its scathing order, the NGT criticized SEIAA’s actions as “callous and irresponsible,” pointing out that issuing ECs without a finalized DSR constitutes a serious legal violation.
“How could the three ECs have been granted prior to approval of the DSR? This shows a thoroughly callous and irresponsible way of working of SEIAA, Assam,” the Tribunal stated.
SEIAA finalized the DSR more than five months after it had already issued the clearances. As a result, the NGT has not only sought a formal affidavit from SEIAA but also forwarded its order to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) for further review.
Under India’s environmental framework, Category A projects require evaluation by the Central Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) and clearance from the MoEF, while Category B projects fall under the appraisal of the State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) and the clearance of SEIAA, a body constituted by the central government.
The NGT’s directive raises fresh questions about regulatory oversight and transparency in the environmental clearance process in Assam.