Environmental Lawyer for Assam

Assam is the industrial and commercial centre of the north-east, with oil and gas fields and refineries, tea gardens, cement and paper units, and the growing city of Guwahati. It is also home to Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its one-horned rhinoceros, Manas National Park, and important wetlands such as Deepor Beel, a Ramsar site on the edge of Guwahati. The Brahmaputra and its tributaries shape the state, with annual floods and extensive river sand extraction.

Industries deal with the Pollution Control Board, Assam for consents and enforcement. The 2020 blowout and fire at an oil well at Baghjan, near the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Maguri-Motapung wetland, led to NGT proceedings and committees that examined oil and gas operations near sensitive areas. Cases from Assam go to the NGT's Eastern Zone Bench in Kolkata and the Gauhati High Court. We advise clients through online consultation, with local counsel on brief.

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Assam at a glance

Oil and gas near sensitive areas

Upper Assam's oil and gas fields lie close to forests, wetlands and protected areas. The Baghjan blowout in 2020 burned for months, affected the Maguri-Motapung wetland and nearby communities, and led to NGT-appointed committees examining the operator's compliance with EC and consent conditions and its emergency preparedness. Drilling and extraction projects near protected areas now face close scrutiny on wildlife clearance, ESZ restrictions and emergency planning. Extended reach drilling from outside protected areas has been used to reduce impact.

Oil and gas operators should ensure that each well and installation is covered by EC, consent and, where needed, wildlife clearance, and that emergency response plans are tested. See environmental clearance.

Kaziranga and its surroundings

Kaziranga is surrounded by a landscape of forests, tea gardens, villages and highways, and animals migrate to the Karbi Anglong hills during floods. The Supreme Court has prohibited mining and stone quarrying in the Kaziranga area and in the animal corridors to the Karbi Anglong hills, and the authorities restrict construction along the corridors and the national highway. Projects in the surrounding areas, including hotels, resorts and industries, must check ESZ notifications, corridor restrictions and court orders. See eco-sensitive zones.

Wetlands and floods

Deepor Beel, on Guwahati's edge, is a Ramsar wetland under pressure from urban expansion, a railway line and solid waste dumping, and its protection has been before the courts. Wetlands across Assam are protected under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, which restrict reclamation, dumping and certain constructions in notified wetlands. River sand and gravel mining from the Brahmaputra and its tributaries needs mining permission and environmental clearance under the sand mining framework, and unauthorised mining has been the subject of NGT directions.

How we help clients in Assam

Tea gardens and factories

Tea gardens and processing factories use boilers, pesticides and large estates of land. Factories need consent for boilers and effluent, and estates near protected areas or corridors face restrictions on fencing, construction and conversion of land. Cement, paper, coal and stone crushing units in the state also need consent and face scrutiny. Coal mining in the Dehing Patkai area raised controversy in 2020, leading to inquiries and the area's upgrade to a national park.

Time and typical cost

Our fees are agreed in writing at the start, stage by stage. They are not linked to the outcome.

Regulators and forums in Assam

Documents usually needed

Laws that apply

How we work

We are a litigation and advisory practice led by Advocate BK Singh, with offices in Dwarka (New Delhi) and Vaishali (Ghaziabad). This is what you can expect:

• Online consultation: quick review of your documents.
• Sensitive area expertise: Kaziranga, wetlands and oil fields.
• Local counsel on brief: for hearings in Guwahati.
• NGT Kolkata matters: coordinated through our network.
• Written fee terms: agreed stage by stage, never linked to the outcome.

Mistakes we see in Assam

Refineries, pipelines and petrochemicals

Assam has refineries at Digboi, Guwahati, Bongaigaon and Numaligarh, gas and oil pipelines, and a petrochemical complex at Dhaliajan. These units need environmental clearance, consent and hazardous waste authorisation, and face scrutiny on emissions, effluent and safety. The Numaligarh refinery's expansion and the location of facilities near the Kaziranga landscape have been examined by courts and expert bodies. Pipelines crossing forests, rivers and elephant corridors need forest clearance and wildlife mitigation. Petroleum refining and petrochemicals are now also covered by emission intensity targets under the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme. See carbon credits.

Guwahati's growth and the hills

Guwahati has expanded onto its surrounding hills and wetlands, leading to landslides, flash floods and loss of water bodies. Hill cutting and construction on notified hills and in wetlands such as Deepor Beel and the Bharalu and Bahini river channels have been the subject of court directions and eviction drives. Builders and buyers in Guwahati should check whether land is on a protected hill, in a wetland or in a drainage channel before investing. Large housing projects need building EC above the thresholds, and must plan for drainage and waste. See EC for building projects.

Questions before investing in Assam