Order of the National Green Tribunal (Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata) in the matter of Giri Gobardhan Forest Committee Vs State of Odisha & Others dated 15/05/2025.

The Applicant Giri Gobardhan Forest Committee has filed the application alleging illegal felling of trees over an area of around 5 acres within the Badapari Demarcated Protected Forest (DPF) in Mouza-Badapari under Tangi Tahasil of Khordha district. It was further alleged that some people are putting fire in the forest to grab ownership of the land. It was stated that the forest is spread over an area of more than 700 acres. The forest is said to have dense vegetation and habitat of wild animals such as sambar, rabbit, khuranga, peacocks, deers, wildboars, jungle cats, pangolin, elephants and various types of snakes and birds.

It was stated that the forest is also a treasure of medicinal plants and the local healers use those herbs to cure different types of diseases, hence, the site is equally important from the perspective of biodiversity. It was stated that the site is also Demarcated Protected Forest (DPF) recorded in the name of the forest department.

The NGT directed notice to be issued to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Deputy Director General of Forests, and Odisha Biodiversity Board. The tribunal directed notice to be issued to two people also responsible for grabbing forest land. A two member fact finding committee comprising the Collector and District Magistrate Khordha and Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Khordha should be constituted directed the NGT. The committee should visit the site and submit a fact finding report.