HC urges Assam not to plant Conocarpus trees. 'Steps were taken to resolve issues raised in the report'

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• May 14, 2023 | Kabir Chakraborty

According to official sources, the state government of Assam has not planted any Conocarpus trees.  color:#333333">

color:#333333">Digital Desk: The Chief Justice
of the Gauhati High Court, Justice Sandeep Mehta, has recommended the Assam
Government not to plant Conocarpus trees throughout the state as part of
its urban area beautification programmes because the tree is damaging to both
the environment and humans. This was stated by the High Court while hearing a
PIL based on a suo moto PIL based on a report from The Sentinel.

color:#333333;background:#F8F9FA">The High Court heard the PIL filed in
response to The Sentinel's April 18, 2023, report headed "23 Forest
Divisions do not have approved working plans." On April 20, 2023, the high
court took cognizance of the report. "The report reflects that 23 forest
divisions in Assam do not have approved working plans," said the bench,
which included Chief Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice Suman Shyam. This is the
case despite the fact that the Supreme Court has repeatedly demanded that all
forest divisions have operating plans.

The
study further stated that the agency is administered according to the whims and
fancies of a portion of Indian Forest Service personnel who do not even consult
with the minister in question before developing policy. As a result, we take
suo motto notice of this press report."

On
the PIL, the Advocate General informed the Court that the working plan
proposals of 21 of the state's 33 forest divisions had been delivered to
Shillong's Regional Office of the Forest Ministry of Environment and Forest. He
also stated that work on the working plans for two more forest divisions is
already underway. He further claimed that sufficient efforts had been made to
address the concern raised in the news report, the reason for which this suo
moto PIL was filed.

On the PIL, the Advocate General informed the
Court that the working plan proposals of 21 of the state's 33 forest divisions
had been delivered to the Regional Office of the Forest Ministry of Environment
and Forest, which is located in Shillong. He also stated that working plans for
two further forest divisions are being developed. He further claimed that
necessary actions had been taken to resolve the concern raised in the news
article, on the basis of which this suo moto PIL was filed.

"I have seen that Arunachal has planted
Conocarpus trees in a massive manner," Chief Justice Mehta said. He
advised Assam Advocate General Devajit Saikia to raise the issue with the State
Forest Department and ensure that Conocarpus trees are not planted in urban
beautification projects because they are harmful to the environment.

According to official sources, the state
government of Assam has not planted any Conocarpus trees. Massive quantities of
eucalyptus trees were discovered in Assam in the 1980s, primarily along
roadsides. Eucalyptus, which is still found in the state, is equally harmful to
the ecosystem.