SC Panel Flags Meghalaya’s USTM for Encroaching Over 25 Hectares of Forest Land

The University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM), a prominent private university in the region, has come under intense scrutiny after a Supreme Court-appointed panel, the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), accused it of large-scale encroachment on forest land. According to a report submitted to the Registrar of the Supreme Court on September 15, USTM, promoted by the Education Research & Development Foundation (ERDF), allegedly occupied 13.62 hectares of deemed forest land in one phase and 12.13 hectares in another without mandatory clearances under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

The CEC highlighted that despite repeated instructions from both the central government and the Meghalaya government, USTM did not seek approval for diversion of forest land. Consequently, nearly 93% of the university’s constructed area falls under forest land, with almost 83% already developed or used. The report emphasized the “devastating” ecological impact of this expansion, noting extensive land breaking, hill slope cutting, reduction of green cover, and disruption of natural drainage systems. The committee warned that the destruction had been massive and indiscriminate.

Political controversy has accompanied these findings. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had previously accused USTM of engaging in “land jihad,” alleging that unchecked expansion violated land norms and contributed to artificial flooding in Guwahati. The CEC report lends weight to environmental concerns, although USTM has strongly denied wrongdoing, claiming all land acquisitions were legal. The university asserts that the campus land was acquired from private owners, certified as non-forest land by the Divisional Forest Officer and the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, and that permissions were obtained from multiple authorities, including the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority, Pollution Control Board, and Health & Family Welfare Department. USTM further claims it has undertaken ecological restoration, including landscaping and plantation drives, and points out that other educational institutions in the area were not similarly targeted.

The report also highlights conflicts between official records and on-ground verification. Earlier certificates designated much of the land as non-forest, but later inspections by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and independent surveys found that significant portions of USTM’s campus overlapped with deemed forest land. The issue was compounded when the North East Transmission Company Limited (NETCL) sought diversion of land for rerouting a 400 KVA transmission line. While the MoEF approved the diversion for 9.84 hectares near the campus, USTM’s own proposal was delisted due to failure to respond to queries, allowing the university to operate on disputed land without clearance.

Legally, the CEC concluded that USTM and ERDF violated Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, which requires prior central government approval for non-forest use. The committee recommended strict penalties, including imposition of Net Present Value (NPV) at five times the standard rate for medium dense forest, plus 12% annual interest from the start of violations. Compensation for the encroachments, spanning several crores, is intended to offset environmental degradation.

The Supreme Court is expected to examine the report and determine whether USTM’s expansion constitutes illegal encroachment or whether the university’s claims of lawful acquisition are valid. The case underscores the broader tension between development and environmental conservation in ecologically sensitive Northeast India, raising questions about balancing educational expansion with forest protection. The court’s decision will have implications for USTM and other private universities in the region, potentially setting a precedent for managing education, development, and environmental sustainability in fragile ecosystems.