The Gauhati High Court has recently disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) registered suo motu by the court based on a newspaper report published in 2018, which highlighted the destruction of the historic Tipam Hills area in Digboi Sub-Division due to illegal coal mining.
The court had issued notices to the state and other respondents, and several compliance reports were filed, stating that the illegal mining activities had been stopped and regular monitoring was being done to prevent any further illegal activities.
The amicus curiae, T J Mahanta, submitted that no illegal activities had been witnessed in the area for the past two years and requested the court to direct the state to continue monitoring and supervising the area.
During the pendency of the petition, another issue was raised regarding the protection of monuments of historical importance of the Ahom dynasty.
The court directed the state to take steps to protect these monuments, and an affidavit was filed by the Director of Archaeology, stating that a survey was being conducted to identify historical monuments and necessary steps would be taken to protect them.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Suman Shyam disposed of the petition, directing the respondents to complete the exercise of identifying and protecting the historical monuments of the Ahom dynasty within six months.
The court also directed the state and other respondents to continue monitoring and supervising the Tipam Hills area to prevent any further illegal mining activities.
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