‘Not recommended’ Forest land in Hazira turned ‘Recommended’ overnight, AM/NS India and Surat forest department in the docks

Surat : After recommending the allocation of 7.18 hectares of forest land (this land parcel is part of the total 38.71 hectares) in Hazira to the Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) for the construction of the 300 MW power plant, the Surat Forest department has come under scrutiny due to the apparent violation of the Forest Protection Act, 1980.

Darshan Naik, general secretary of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCB), has filed a complaint with the Regional Officer of the integrated regional office of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in Gandhinagar, requesting an investigation into the Surat Forest Department’s allotment of 7.18 hectares of forest land to AM/NS India and the apparent violation of the Forest Protection Act, 1980.

Naik claims that 7.18 ha of forested land was requested by R. K. Corporation via an online application before it was requested by AM/NS India. It is worth noting that when AM/NS submitted this proposal through the Surat Forest department’s division office, the Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF), Surat Forest circle sent it back with the notation “Not Recommended” (a copy of which is available at The Blunt Times).

As Naik put it, “Under what circumstances was this “Not Recommended” suggestion “Recommended?” This issue requires extensive research. When has the demand for AM/NS been granted notwithstanding its pending status? The CCF who recommended “Not Recommended” for the 7.18 hectares of forest area was apparently aware of all the laws, but nevertheless chose to reject the proposal. And who or what put enough pressure on them that this suggestion made it to the Gujarat Secretariat in a single day? The public is talking about how a major politician helped out a lot in this instance in exchange for a lot of money.

Naik has filed a complaint with the Regional Officer of MoEFCC, requesting that he inspect the site in question and give his approval for the proposal after reviewing the video footage of the land in question. In addition, the Surat Forest Department’s DFO and RFO’s spot investigation report needs to be made available for inspection.

“The Surat Forest Department is aware of AM/NS India’s illegal building in the Hazira forest. These forest authorities, in collusion with the company, bilked the federal and state governments out of crores of rupees. “The company is obviously violating the Forest Protection Act,” Naik stated.

According to Naik, the 7.18 hectare of forest land is partly occupied by a separate company known as Inox for the manufacturing of oxygen, which is supplied to the steel plant of AM/NS India. INOX has illegally occupied the forest land since last many years and carrying out the profitable business without paying a single penny to the government exchequer.

The Blunt Times attempted to contact the corporate communication department of AM/NS India for an official statement. The company is yet to send the official reply in this regard. When the company sends the statement, it will be printed verbatim.