The Central government's approval of oil exploration by Vedanta's subsidiary, Cairn Oil and Gas, near hoolock gibbon habitat in Assam has sparked a new controversy.
The project, which seeks oil and gas exploration on 4.5 hectares of protected forest land, is located at Dissoi Valley Reserve Forest near Mariani in the Jorhat district of Assam. The site falls within the habitat of the endangered hoolock gibbons in the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary.
The Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary is home to many ape and gibbon species, especially the hoolock gibbons, the Northeast's sole nocturnal primate - the Bengal slow loris - and other distinct wildlife species. The sanctuary, currently surrounded by tea gardens and a few small villages, used to once connect to a large forest tract that expanded to the state of Nagaland.
On 27 August 2024, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Union Environment Ministry granted in-principle approval, also known as Stage-I clearance, for the diversion of the forest land during a meeting. During the meeting, the panel noted that the Chief Wildlife Warden of Assam, Sandeep Kumar, and the regional office of the Union Environment Ministry had recommended clearance for the project.
The move has drawn several criticism due to the environment consequences of the project and the fact that the site falls within the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of the sanctuary.
Previously, Congress leader Debabrata Saikia and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi flagged concerns about the significant impact of the project and directly addressed the Assam Legislative Assembly, as well as the press to inform them about it.
Gogoi accused the Assam government of double standards on wildlife protection and environmental impact. “The government’s approach is to remove the poor and displace indigenous tribes of Assam of the right to life in their traditional forest areas. But they will turn a blind eye to the destruction of wildlife and forests if it benefits large private mining companies of big businesses. The inference appears that big mining companies are the stakeholders for the BJP government whereas indigenous tribes and environmental concerns are secondary issues,” Gogoi said.
Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti, a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), also expressed his displeasure over the decision. He warned that further habitat loss could lead to the inclusion of the hoolock gibbons in the IUCN Red List.
“The gibbons in Hollongapar are already vulnerable. Further habitat loss will put it on the IUCN Red List, bringing a bad name for Government of Assam. Gibbons needs a continuous canopy, but the proposed mining will lead to the fragmentation of the forest and thereby, the division of the canopies. It will seriously affect the living of the gibbons as continuity of the canopies will be done away with,” Dr Borkakoti said.
He also warned of forest fires, which could devastate the entire habitat. “The permission given by Chief Wildlife Warden is also questionable as he is only an official of the state government, not an autonomous functionary. The alibi of national interest pales before the global interest of keeping gibbons alive,” said the IUCN member.
Dr Parimal Chandra Bhattacharjee, a former Professor of Gauhati University, who pioneered wetland, primatology and biodiversity studies across the Northeast, warned that the drilling operations could disturb the movement of elephants, leading to increased human-elephant conflict.
The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden of Assam recommended the clearance, citing the project's alignment with national interest. He said that minimal tree felling would be done and that there would be no harm to wildlife.
A 5.57-crore wildlife conservation and human-animal conflict management plan has also been submitted. The ministry panel also instructed the state government to follow the safety guidelines outlined in a parliamentary report on the Baghjan blowout incident of May 2020.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Opposition against environmental degradation
Demand to cancel the project
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Urban and Rural
Type of Land
Common
Forest
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
352
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Violation of environmental laws
Non-consultation with stakeholders
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Supreme Court of India
Case Number
Diary No(s). 44449/2024
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
MoEFCC, Assam Forest Department, State Board for Wildlife (SBWL), National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Jorhat district, PCCF, Assam
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Vedanta Limited (Division: Cairn Oil & Gas)
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
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