Guwahati: A hard-hitting report by the Supreme Court–appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has revealed rampant illegal mining and large-scale deforestation in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi and East Khasi Hills districts, warning of severe ecological fallout spilling into neighbouring Assam.
The report, submitted on September 15, examined complaints filed by activist Jitul Deka and highlighted grave regulatory failures, including questionable land use by the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM).
According to the CEC, satellite imagery and ground inspections confirmed at least six major illegal mining sites and extensive hill-cutting operations near USTM, spread across more than 400 hectares of what was once dense forest.
These activities, the panel said, were carried out without mandatory clearances under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and in violation of earlier Supreme Court directives in the landmark Godavarman case.
“The massive and indiscriminate destruction of the site is evident. The USTM, ERDF, is also running a horse-riding program in the school,” the committee noted, adding that the university had expanded into areas that qualified as “forest” or “deemed forest” without obtaining prior approval from the central government.
While USTM’s records show its campus spread over 14.22 hectares acquired through legal processes, a forest department inspection found 15.71 hectares under its control. The report further alleged that the university had encroached on 13.62 hectares of deemed forest land in one instance and 12.13 hectares in another, both without approvals.
The CEC underlined that “environmental compensation” must be imposed as a restorative charge to address damage caused by unapproved activities. It also observed that despite repeated directives, USTM had never submitted any proposal for legal diversion of forest land.
USTM, run by the Education Research and Development Foundation (ERDF), has strongly refuted the charges, stating it acquired land through government-sanctioned transfers and obtained all required no-objection certificates. The university further claimed that much of its land had already been degraded by earlier use and that it has since undertaken ecological restoration measures.
Beyond USTM, the CEC report uncovered serious violations at multiple other locations. Inspections found unscientific dumping of overburden and quarry waste beyond lease boundaries and on adjoining private and community lands. Such practices, it said, have blocked natural drainage systems, silted streams, and contaminated village water sources. In several areas, muck flows rendered PWD roads unserviceable.
Unchecked quarrying and deforestation have also triggered soil erosion, excessive siltation, and mudflows, aggravating flooding in Assam. Rivers such as the Basistha, Bahini, and Digholpani, which originate in Meghalaya, have been choked with quarry runoff, intensifying flash floods and waterlogging in Guwahati.
The Meghalaya government itself admitted before the National Green Tribunal that 133 illegal mining units were operational and fines worth over ₹153 crore had been imposed. Yet enforcement has remained weak, with quarrying continuing unchecked. The CEC flagged possible collusion between officials and illegal operators, calling it a case of “administrative apathy.”
Recommending stringent measures, the committee proposed a minimum fine of ₹150 crore on USTM/ERDF and other institutions for ecological damage and forest encroachment. It further sought suspension of all mining, quarrying, and stone-crushing activities in Ri-Bhoi until a high-level panel comprising officials from the Ministry of Environment, NEERI, NESAC, GSI, and the Wildlife Institute of India carried out a comprehensive review.
The CEC also directed that all non-forestry activities on encroached forest land be halted immediately and the land restored to forest cover within a year. Penalties collected, it added, should be used for demolition of illegal structures, ecological restoration of degraded sites, and compensatory afforestation.
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