MUMBAI: It was a raid on March 22, 2004 by Maharashtra forest and wildlife officials along with the Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG) that finally led to the Supreme Court sentencing Maharashtra Transport Minister Surupsingh Naik and Additional Chief Secretary Ashok Khot to one month in jail on Wednesday.

Manish Moghe, activist with the BEAG, said the raid was conducted by the Regional Deputy Director (Wildlife) and other forest officials on Oriental Veneers Private Limited, the largest sawmill near the Tansa wildlife sanctuary in Thane district. After the raid, Oriental and five other saw mills in the area were shut down. However, 15 days later, Mr. Khot, who was then Principal Secretary in the Forest Department and the then Forest Minister Mr. Naik gave permission to reopen the sawmills, Mr. Moghe said.

"We noticed the mills were functioning a week later and we filed a complaint on July 14, 2004, with the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court, which is authorised to entertain such complaints and report to the apex court," he said. The Maharashtra Government was summoned by the CEC to give its version but no one from the Forest Department attended the hearings.

The CEC also visited the sawmills after the complaint was filed and verified the situation. On January 25, it submitted a report to the Supreme Court. All six mills were illegal and were granted permission by the State Government in violation of law. After their report was submitted, the CEC asked them to shut down the mills and they did so. The companies went in appeal to the apex court, which was dismissed in June 2005.

However, the apex court also went into the aspect of how the permissions were granted. Notices of contempt were issued to Mr. Khot and Mr. Naik and they were asked to present their case.

Mr. Moghe said the permission to run the sawmills, almost 200 metres from the wildlife sanctuary, was in violation of the Bombay Forest Rules 1942 and the Indian Forest Act 1927. Besides, the Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that all unlicensed sawmills must be closed down and no permission can be given to new sawmills without the CEC's permission. A State Government resolution also says that no new licences can be granted to saw mills after 1981, he added.

The sawmills in question, apart from Oriental Veneers, are: Konark Plywood Industries Limited, Great Western Plywood Industries Pvt. Limited, Pagoda Woods, Woodmac (Bombay) and Lucky products.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail