FDCM violated FCA in Megalithic site work at Gorewada

Nagpur: It’s a classic case of fence eating the farm: The Forest Development Corporation Maharashtra (FDCM), a state-owned company, which should be the protector of forest laws, has itself violated the Forest Conservation Act (FCA), 1980, while erecting the country’s first ‘messed up’ in situ project to conserve over 3,000-year-old Megalithic burial sites at Gorewada reserve forest (RF).
Gorewada is a notified RF and any non-forestry activity needs clearance under Section 2 of the FCA from the Central government. Papers in possession of TOI show that the FDCM needed diversion of 0.97 hectares of forest land, equivalent to two football fields, for the Megalithic Stone Circle project. However, the corporation first started excavation work and applied for clearance after seven months.
On December 31, 2018, TOI reported unearthing skeletons and several artifacts in compartment number 793. As told by the senior FDCM officials, the digging work started on November 3, 2018. Interestingly, a proposal to seek forest clearance was moved on June 6, 2019, and MoEFCC granted in-principle (Stage I) approval on August 19, 2019. Stage II (final approval) came on May 31, 2022.
After final approval, the state government permits the use of the forest land for non-forest purposes. It passes order to that effect along with the conditions and safeguards imposed by the Central Government according to Stage-I and Stage-II clearance. Even before such orders were issued construction work had already started.
Even as both FDCM and state nodal officer at forest department headquarters ‘Van Bhavan’ here apparently remain silent on the issue for four odd years, the fact came to light three days ago when the present nodal officer on June 16, 2022, sought a compliance report from the chief conservator (CCF), Nagpur, on whether the stipulated 16 conditions by MoEFCC while granting Stage II clearance were followed or not?
Sources said Seminary Hills RFO Sarika Admane conducted a site inspection three days ago at Gorewada and noticed blatant violations of FCA. A report in this regard will be submitted to the deputy conservator of forests (DyCF), Nagpur, in a couple of days. The report will be forwarded to the nodal officer through the CCF.
FDCM general manager Rishikesh Ranjan said, “We started work as we wanted to see if the site had Megalithic artifacts or not. In between, we sought to know from the MoEFCC whether FCA permission is required for such works or not. When the ministry officials said permission is needed we stopped work.”
The burial site work stopped not because of due to FCA violations but due to disputes between FDCM and Pune-based Deccan College of Post-graduate & Research Institute, which is implementing the project.
This is not the first time FCA has been violated in Gorewada. The Maharashtra Bamboo Development Board (MBDB) was allotted 31.5ha of the reserve forest in compartment number 795 on December 12, 2019, without the approval of the state government. The MBDB set up a couple of bamboo treatment units without forest clearance. Yet, forest officials were mute spectators to these violations.
Hemant Chhajed, an expert in forest land matters, says, “Whoever contravenes or abets the contravention or any of the provisions of Section 2 of the FCA, shall be punishable with simple imprisonment for a period which may extend to 15 days. Even if the offense is committed by the government department, it shall be deemed to be guilty and shall be liable to be punished. The offense seems to have been committed deliberately.”
Chronology of Events
* Nov 17, 1906: Chief Commissioner of Central Provinces declared the areas in Junapani as stone circles, and there can be no excavation without a license from the local government.
* Jan 10, 2018: The state decided to develop archeological theme park and stone circles at Gorewada.
* Jan 29, 2018: Deccan College experts visit the site.
* June 8, 2018: MoU signed between Deccan College and FDCM.
* Nov 27, 2019: DPR for archeological theme park and stone circles approved.
* Apr 26, 2019: It was decided to submit a proposal for approval under FCA.
* Nov 3, 2018: Work started even before DPR was approved and forest clearance was granted.