Raid Laban dorbar petitions NGT over ‘Army encroachment’

SHILLONG: The Raid Laban Dorbar has approached the National Green Tribunal over the alleged felling of trees and erection of cemented wall along the barbed wire fencing along the catchment area in Raid Laban.
The application has been filed by Dorbar on March 16 with the NGT, Eastern Zone, Kolkata with a prayer to stop the destruction of the forest, water resources and   rivulets by the Army authorities and to direct the State Government to declare the zone as a critical catchment area.
The NGT directed the State Government and the Army Authorities to place before the tribunal the factual position as regards the allegations contained in the original application. “They (the State Government and the Army Authorities) shall deal with the questions pertaining to the threat to the catchment area, felling of trees by the army and alleged inaction of the Advisory Board said to have been constituted,” the NGT said.
In a joint statement, Raid Laban Dorbar president Iosterson Sun and its general secretary Glanding Lyngdoh recalled that in 1990, the catchment area at Lum Shyllong started facing extinction due to rampant destruction of trees which coincided with the sudden settlement of Army personnel in the area.
The matter was apprised of to the State Government, informing it that the Army authorities intended to fell 1000 trees in the forest area in order to construct their settlement.
In the year 2000, the issue was again raised with the Government and the  then Chief Minister late EK Mawlong had convened a high level meeting following which the Army was asked to stop any construction in the area till joint survey was conducted.
They, however, said that the mutual agreement with the Army was not respected in letter and spirit   which prompted the Dorbar to constitute the Raid Laban Mylliem Land Conservation Committee which had even filed a PIL before the Shillong Bench of the Gauhati High Court in 2005 against Army occupation of the catchment area.
The Court had in its order in 2007 stayed the construction work by the Army and also asked the State Government to constitute an Advisory Board for declaration of the area as critical catchment.
In 2009, the Army had informed the Government about shelving the project to construct 700 family quarters on the army land along the left side of the PWD road besides stating that not a single tree was cut.
“However, in the month of February this year, it was observed that the Army authorities defied the court order and again started felling trees even as a cemented wall was erected along the barbed wire fencing right through the catchment area at Raid Laban,” they said.