Overview
- The Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee found that USTM occupied forest land without prior central approval required under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.
- The panel recommended a cumulative Rs 150.35 crore penalty to fund removal of illegal structures and full ecological restoration within one year.
- It reported that 13.62 hectares of USTM’s 15.71 hectares of constructed area is forest land, and noted 7.64 hectares already broken on a separate parcel earmarked for a medical college.
- For Ri‑Bhoi, the committee urged suspension of all mining, quarrying and crushing until a multidisciplinary review, with 30‑day digital mapping by leaseholders, re‑appraisal of past clearances in 30 days, and a May 1–Sept 30 moratorium on hill‑cutting and major earthworks.
- Meghalaya told the Supreme Court there was no large‑scale land‑grabbing or link between Meghalaya activities and Guwahati flooding, with the matter next listed for October 8.