NGT Forms Panel To Investigate Alleged ‘Environmental Damage’ In Odisha’s Sikharchandi Hill

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has recently formed a committee to investigate and verify the alleged environmental harm caused by construction activities on Sikharchandi Hill in Odisha.

The tribunal has further directed that the Sikharchandi Hill project should be put on hold until the next hearing.

The NGT was hearing a petition asserting that construction activities, including earth moving, rock blasting, and tree felling, have resulted in environmental damage on Sikharchandi Hill, which is a part of the Chandaka wildlife division in Khurda, Odisha.

Upon reviewing the evidence presented, the bench led by Chairperson Justice A K Goel, expressed initial concern, stating that “prima facie” it appeared that the project violated the Forest (Conservation) Act and posed a risk to biodiversity, particularly the rare and endangered species of medicinal and wild plants.

To prevent further damage and ensure appropriate restorative measures, the NGT deemed it necessary to intervene and verify the facts independently. A bench comprising judicial members Justices B Amit Sthalekar and Arun Kumar Tyagi, along with expert member A Senthil Vel, issued this directive.

“With a view to independently ascertain the factual position, we constitute a four-member joint committee to be headed by the Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF), of Bhubaneswar with other members being representatives of the Central Pollution Control Board, State Pollution Control Board and district magistrate, Khurda,” the bench stated.

The committee is required to convene within a week, conduct site visits, and engage with stakeholders to establish the factual position regarding the illegal felling of trees, biodiversity loss, hill cutting, and other damages.

The bench further directed that a report on the facts and actions taken must be submitted to the tribunal by July 3.

The tribunal said, “The committee may also get broad demarcation of the hill to determine permissible and non-permissible activities” and further added, “having regard to the irreversible consequences of the ongoing project, we direct that the project, in question, may be held in abeyance till next date of hearing”.

According to the petition, Sikharchandi Hill is part of the Eastern Ghat mountains, renowned for its rich biodiversity, diverse flora and fauna, and the presence of rare wild and medicinal plant species. The petition also claimed that there was no forest clearance for tree cutting.

The case is scheduled for further hearing on 5^th July, 2023.