The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has directed legal action against Assam’s Special Chief Secretary MK Yadava for serious violations of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The violations pertain to the unauthorised diversion of protected forest land in Assam to build Commando Battalion Camps without securing the mandatory prior approval from the Central Government.
According to official documents, Yadava, who was then serving as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, allegedly permitted the diversion of 28 hectares in Geleky Reserved Forest under the Sivasagar Division and 11.5 hectares in Innerline Reserved Forest under the Hailakandi Division for non-forest purposes. The Ministry has now empowered Divisional Forest Officers in Assam to initiate legal proceedings against him.
The construction projects, undertaken by the Assam Police Housing Corporation Ltd., proceeded without Central clearance. Inspections carried out by the Ministry’s Regional Office in Shillong confirmed that large-scale permanent construction had already taken place in both forest areas. The August 2024 inspection of Geleky Reserved Forest found that nearly 80 percent of the structures for the Commando Battalion Camp had been completed.
A similar site visit in March 2024 at Innerline Reserved Forest revealed that around 500 workers and multiple heavy vehicles were engaged in construction activity spread across 11.5 hectares. The plinth area of buildings under construction was estimated at 30,000 square metres.
The Advisory Committee acknowledged the importance of deploying security forces to protect forests, but reiterated that diversion of forest land requires prior approval from the Central Government, as laid out in Rule 11.8 of the Forest (Conservation) Act and the updated 2023 rules and guidelines.
Yadava’s justification for the construction – citing forest protection concerns – was deemed unsatisfactory and “not legally tenable” by the Ministry. Under Rule 15(2) of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Rules, 2023, the Central Government has directed the State Government to initiate prosecution.
Divisional Forest Officers have been given 45 days to file complaints and submit action-taken reports, with the Assam Government required to provide monthly updates to the Ministry’s Shillong office.
The matter is further complicated by a conflict of interest. As Special Chief Secretary, Yadava now holds a position that may influence whether legal proceedings against him are approved – raising questions over institutional accountability.
While the National Green Tribunal has closed the Damchera camp case after a post-facto clearance, the Geleky case remains pending before the tribunal’s Kolkata bench.
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