Legal Action Ordered Against Assam’s Special Chief Secretary MK Yadava Over Forest Act Violations
Legal action has been ordered against Assam’s Special Chief Secretary MK Yadava for alleged violations of the Forest Conservation Act, marking a serious development in environmental governance accountability.
NETB24
New Delhi/Guwahati, July 4: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has ordered legal proceedings against Assam’s Special Chief Secretary, MK Yadava, for alleged serious violations of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
According to official documents, Yadava, during his tenure as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, is accused of unauthorized diversion of protected forest land in Assam. Specifically, he allegedly permitted the diversion of 28 hectares in Geleky Reserved Forest (Sivasagar Division) and 11.5 hectares in Innerline Reserved Forest (Hailakandi Division) for the construction of Commando Battalion Camps, without securing the mandatory prior approval from the Central Government.
The Ministry has found the violations to be in serious breach of the Forest (Conservation) Act and has now empowered Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) in Assam to initiate legal action against Yadava.
This marks a rare instance of high-level accountability being enforced under the Forest Act and signals the Centre's firm stance on unauthorized use of forest land for non-forest purposes.
Further updates are awaited as the legal process unfolds.
Edit By Sarita Gogoi
