Jharsuguda: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken up a case against Epsilon Carbon Ashoka Pvt. Ltd. for allegedly encroaching on village forest land in Sripura under Sadar block in Jharsuguda district. The tribunal admitted the petition, filed by social worker Saroj Patra, October 31 for hearing. According to the complaint, the company illegally used gramya jungle (village forest) land to construct a road to its under-construction industrial facility without the necessary authorisation.
The disputed land, listed under Khata No. 178 and Plot Nos. 374, 427, 428, 434, and 435 of Sripura Mouza, is officially recorded as forest land in the Jharsuguda tehsil records. Local residents had earlier raised objections, alleging that the company cleared areas where the Forest department had planted hundreds of saplings under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ plantation drive. The villagers claimed that the Jharsuguda tehsildar later removed the saplings and barricades along the road leading to the company site, intensifying local resentment. Sripura villagers later submitted a memorandum October 7 to Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, demanding immediate action against the encroachment. They also held protests outside the Epsilon Carbon Ashoka Pvt. Ltd. facility and the Jharsuguda Collector’s office, alleging administrative inaction despite repeated complaints. The NGT case, filed by Saroj Patra and represented by advocates Shankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhi, argues that the company’s actions violated the Gram Sabha’s authority.
The Sripura panchayat had previously resolved that no SC, ST, gochar, or forest land within its jurisdiction would be allotted to private companies without the consent of the Gram Sabha. When contacted, Jharsuguda Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ashok Manu Bhatt said the department has not yet received any formal notice from the NGT. “We will initiate an inquiry once an official notice is received,” Bhatt said. The case will be heard by Justice Arun Tyagi, who has directed the Jharsuguda District Collector and Epsilon Carbon Ashoka Pvt. Ltd. to file their responses before the tribunal.
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