Environmental Body Cites Serious Concerns Over Forest Vigilance
The National Green Tribunal has intervened, issuing a stay on an Assam government order that would have seen approximately 1,600 personnel from the Assam Forest Protection Force diverted for election duties. The tribunal's Eastern Zone bench, composed of Judicial Member Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member Ishwar Singh, acted following a plea that challenged the diversion of these forest personnel. The core of the NGT's objection lies in the potential severe compromise to forest protection and conservation, leaving ecologically sensitive areas vulnerable.
The tribunal's order, issued on April 2, specifically highlighted concerns that such a large-scale redeployment of frontline staff could expose vital habitats, including tiger reserves and protected areas, to increased risks of poaching, illegal wildlife trade, and timber felling. The bench emphasized its mandate to apply the precautionary principle and abide by provisions within the Biological Diversity Act, the Indian Forest Act, and the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam. The operation of the March 19 order has been stayed until further directives.
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Legal and Environmental Arguments Surface
The NGT issued notices to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the state of Assam, the state's biodiversity board, and the National Biodiversity Authority, demanding justification for the decision in light of statutory obligations. The plea challenging the deployment argued that such a diversion adversely affects conservation efforts at a critical time for ecological monitoring and that authorities had failed to discharge their obligations under the Biological Diversity Act and related environmental statutes. The tribunal deemed the averments to raise "substantial questions" concerning the environment.
Context of the Order
This move by the Assam government, reportedly the first instance of forest personnel being requisitioned for election duty, sought to deploy the Assam Forest Protection Force personnel to assist the Assam Police for the April 9 Assembly polls. The tribunal cited existing directives, possibly referencing a Supreme Court ruling that forest staff and vehicles should not be requisitioned for election or other non-forest purposes. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on April 6 to hear responses and submissions from the involved parties.
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The official behind the initial order, Yadava, is described as a retired Indian Forest Service officer and an associate of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has faced scrutiny for alleged violations of forest conservation law. The tribunal stated that the decision to deploy forest personnel for poll duty was "bad in law" due to these environmental implications.
