
CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT)’s east zone bench in Kolkata has admitted a petition filed by three residents of Sundargarh district alleging illegal transfer of 6.36 acres of forest land to private companies for industrial purposes.
The petitioners -Pradeep Kumar Das, Ramakanta Biswal and Patel Lakra - have claimed that forest land in Kalokudar, classified as Gramya Jungle (revenue forest), was transferred to private entities in violation of the Van Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan Adhiniyam, 2023 and the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.
The petitioners alleged that Orissa Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) had provisionally allotted the forest land to two private companies for setting up steel, iron and ferro alloys units without securing the mandatory clearance from the central government under Section 2 of the Forest Conservation Act.
Representing the petitioners, advocates Sankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhy appeared virtually before the bench comprising Judicial Member Justice B Amit Sthalekar and Expert Member Dr Arun Kumar Verma. Taking note of the allegations, the bench issued notices to the state government, IDCO, the Union of India, and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. “All the respondents shall file their counter-affidavits within four weeks. List on August 21, 2025,” the bench directed.
According to the petition, the land in question is part of a dense forest in a Scheduled V Area, which enjoys special constitutional protections due to its predominantly tribal population. It was further claimed construction activities by the companies pose a serious environmental threat, with hundreds of trees at risk of being felled.