NGT Appeal Filed Over Silchar Airport Project; Union, Assam Government and AAI Named as Respondents
KOLKATA (India CSR): Three applicants have filed an appeal before the National Green Tribunal’s Eastern Zone Bench in Kolkata in relation to the Silchar Airport Project in Assam. The matter has been registered as Appeal No. 10/2026/EZ under Section 16 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010.
The document available with the appeal is a memorandum of parties. It identifies the applicants and 17 respondents, including the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Airports Authority of India, the Assam government, statutory environmental authorities, forest officials, Doloo Tea Company India Limited and Tea Board India.
The memorandum of parties is dated August 18, 2026. It does not set out the substantive grounds of challenge, prayers or detailed allegations in the pages available for review.
What Is The Case?
The matter is an appeal filed before the National Green Tribunal, Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata. It concerns the Silchar Airport Project in Cachar district, Assam, as indicated by the inclusion of the Airport Director, Silchar Airport Project, among the respondents.
The appeal has been filed under Section 16 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010. This provision deals with appeals before the Tribunal against specified orders, decisions, directions or determinations made under environmental laws.
The available memorandum lists the parties in the case. It does not provide details of the order being challenged or the relief sought by the applicants. Therefore, the document does not establish the specific environmental, land, forest, aviation or regulatory issues that may be raised in the appeal.
Who Filed The Appeal?
The applicants named in the memorandum are:
- Priyabrata Bhowmick, President of Shanti Ganatantra Sanhati Mancha, Kolkata.
- Pradip Roy, Convenor of Forum for Social Harmony, Kolkata Branch.
- Baidyanath Sengupta, Editor of Samaj, Bigyan o Prokriti Porichoy.
The respondents include the Union of India through the Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; the Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation; and the Director of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The Expert Appraisal Committee, through its Chairman, and the Inspector General of Forests at the Ministry’s Integrated Regional Office in Guwahati have also been named as respondents.
Where Is The Matter Linked?
The appeal is before the NGT’s Eastern Zone Bench in Kolkata. The project referenced in the parties’ memorandum is the Silchar Airport Project, located in Assam.
The Airports Authority of India has been named through its Chairman, while the Airport Director, Silchar Airport Project, Kumbhirgram, Cachar, Assam, is separately listed as a respondent.
Several Assam-based government and regulatory authorities are also parties to the case. These include the Chief Secretary of Assam; the Additional Chief Secretary of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department; the Principal Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department; the Assam State Pollution Control Board; and the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority.
The Divisional Forest Officer of Cachar Division, the Director of Tea, Assam, and the Chief Wildlife Warden, Assam, have also been listed.
When Was The Appeal Recorded?
The memorandum of appeal carries the case number 10/2026/EZ and is dated August 18, 2026. It was filed before the NGT’s Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata.
The document is notarised and presents the names and addresses of the applicants and respondents. It does not contain a hearing date, any interim order, or a Tribunal direction in the pages reviewed.
As a result, the available record does not indicate whether notices have been issued, whether the respondents have filed replies, or whether the Tribunal has passed any order in the matter.
Why Are Multiple Authorities Named?
The parties listed in the memorandum include authorities responsible for environmental appraisal, forest administration, pollution control, wildlife, aviation, land and disaster management. The Airports Authority of India and the Silchar Airport Project office are also respondents.
Doloo Tea Company India Limited and Tea Board India have additionally been named in the appeal.
However, the memorandum of parties alone does not specify why each respondent has been included or what role each party is alleged to have played. The substantive grounds and claims would require examination of the complete appeal and subsequent Tribunal filings.
No finding has been recorded against any respondent in the document available for review.
