"Take away" gram sabhas' rights in diverting forest land for irrigation, gas pipeline, transmission line projects

By A Representative
Over and above seeking to solicit "utmost complete faith" in the corporate sector in providing environmental clearance, the Report of the High Level Committee on Forest and Environment Related Laws, formed by the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), has asked the Government of India to scale down the role of the gram sabhas in diverting forest land. Released last week, the report, whose copy is with Counterview, says that the “provisions of forest rights Act (FRA), which make it mandatory to seek the approval of gram sabha, should be amended.”
Headed by former Union Cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian – and consisting of Vishwanath Anand, former secretary, Government of India; Bishwanath Sinha, joint secretary, ministry of forests and environment; member-secretary, Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), Hardik Shah; retired judge of the Delhi High Court Justice AK Srivastava; and senior advocate of the Supreme Court KN Bhat – the committee, interestingly, did not have even one well-known environmentalist.
The need to amend the FRA, the committee said, is necessary to ensure implementation of what are called “linear projects”, including transportation lines, gas pipelines, irrigation canals, and transmission lines, which “are generally for the benefit of the community at large”. By setting aside the gram sabha approval, it added, will be possible for such projects to be implemented on a "priority" basis.
The further said, the diversion of forest land for linear projects “should be appraised through a special cell” to be set up under the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) (or the State Environmental Management Authority (SEMA)” at the state level in order to “fast-track” these. The committee provides concessions in the “core area of forests and wildlife protected areas”, too. Saying that approvals should not “ordinarily be given for construction of any projects, including linear projects”, it said, there should be “exceptions” such as “re-laying of the existing roads.”
As for the rest of the forest areas, it explained, “In the matters of forest land diversion where the rights under FRA have not been settled and a proposal for linear project is considered for approval, the committee recommends that the provisions of FR Act which make it mandatory to seek the approval of gram sabha should be amended to dispense with this condition in general to ensure that the benefit of such linear projects are available to the recipient population.”
Interestingly, the committee does not seek to provide autonomy to the new authorities it has proposed, e NEMA or SEMA. It said, “In the context of paragraph 7.14 (xiii) as to whether NEMA ought to have final authority to confer approvals, or should refer their findings for a final decision to the MoEF, the committee considered the matter in depth. It was noted that the mandate for implementing the environmental laws, and by implication give environment/ forest approvals has been conferred by the Parliament to the Executive, in this case represented by MoEF.”
It added, “While all technical aspects of an application/ proposal for clearance would be examined on merits by the NEMA, it was felt that the final approval or rejection powers should be retained by the MoEF. This is because there may be many other factors, relating to relationship with neighbouring countries, need to address regional disparity issues, dealing with areas and regions with special problems and issues, and need to take national security issues into account etc.”
The committee underlined, “The NEMA may not always be privy to such considerations; besides the GoI may not also like to share sensitive information in some instances with subordinate formations. Taking these factors into account, the committee felt that the authority for final decision should be with the MoEF, with the proviso that specific reasons need to be assigned when the Ministry disagrees with the findings/ recommendations of the NEMA in a particular instance.”
Referring to the need to amend the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, the committee said, “The condition on the ownership and the physical possession of the land by the project proponent at the time of submission of application should be dispensed with, and be replaced as the ownership and possession before the construction or enabling activity thereof is started..”

It added, “However, the responsibility for acquiring the land should remain that of the project proponent and the Government shall remain indemnified for any liability on account of acts of the project proponent in this regard.”
---
Click HERE to download the full report

Comments

Why Venezuela govt granting amnesty to political prisoners isn't a sign of weakness

By Guillermo Barreto On 20 May 2017, during a violent protest planned by sectors of the Venezuelan opposition, 21-year-old Orlando Figuera was attacked by a mob that accused him of being a Chavista. After being stabbed, he was doused with gasoline and set on fire in front of everyone present. Young Orlando was admitted to a hospital with multiple wounds and burns covering 80 percent of his body and died 15 days later, on 4 June.

Walk for peace: Buddhist monks and America’s search for healing

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The #BuddhistMonks in the United States have completed their #WalkForPeace after covering nearly 3,700 kilometers in an arduous journey. They reached Washington, DC yesterday. The journey began at the Huong Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, 2025, and concluded in Washington, DC after a 108-day walk. The monks, mainly from Vietnam and Thailand, undertook this journey for peace and mindfulness. Their number ranged between 19 and 24. Led by Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara (also known as Sư Tuệ Nhân), a Vietnamese-born monk based in the United States, this “Walk for Peace” reflected deeply on the crisis within American society and the search for inner strength among its people.

Pace bowlers who transcended pace bowling prowess to heights unscaled

By Harsh Thakor* This is my selection and ranking of the most complete and versatile fast bowlers of all time. They are not rated on the basis of statistics or sheer speed, but on all-round pace-bowling skill. I have given preference to technical mastery over raw talent, and versatility over raw pace.

When a lake becomes real estate: The mismanagement of Hyderabad’s waterbodies

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava* Misunderstood, misinterpreted and misguided governance and management of urban lakes in India —illustrated here through Hyderabad —demands urgent attention from Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the political establishment, the judiciary, the builder–developer lobby, and most importantly, the citizens of Hyderabad. Fundamental misconceptions about urban lakes have shaped policies and practices that systematically misuse, abuse and ultimately erase them—often in the name of urban development.

Bangladesh goes to polls as press freedom concerns surface

By Nava Thakuria* As Bangladesh heads for its 13th Parliamentary election and a referendum on the July National Charter simultaneously on Thursday (12 February 2026), interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus has urged all participating candidates to rise above personal and party interests and prioritize the greater interests of the Muslim-majority nation, regardless of the poll outcomes.

When grief becomes grace: Kerala's quiet revolution in organ donation

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Kerala is an important model for understanding India's diversity precisely because the religious and cultural plurality it has witnessed over centuries brought together traditions and good practices from across the world. Kerala had India's first communist government, was the first state where a duly elected government was dismissed, and remains the first state to achieve near-total literacy. It is also a land where Christianity and Islam took root before they spread to Europe and other parts of the world. Kerala has deep historic rationalist and secular traditions.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Beyond the conflict: Experts outline roadmap for humane street dog solutions

By A Representative In a direct response to the rising polarization surrounding India’s street dog population, a high-level coalition of parliamentarians, legal experts, and civil society leaders gathered in the capital to propose a unified national framework for humane animal management. The emergency deliberations were sparked by a recent Suo Moto judgment that has significantly deepened the divide between animal welfare advocates and those calling for the removal of community dogs, a tension that has recently escalated into reported violence against both animals and their caretakers in states like Telangana.

'Paradigm shift needed': Analyst warns draft electricity policy ignores ecological costs

By A Representative The Ministry of Power’s Draft National Electricity Policy (NEP), 2026 has drawn sharp criticism from power and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma, who has submitted detailed feedback highlighting what he calls “serious omissions” in the government’s approach to energy transition.

Search This Blog