RTI for Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department — Namdapha NP, Pakke TR, Dibang WLS and Wildlife Records

Arunachal Pradesh holds more than 80 percent of its land area under forest cover — the highest proportion of any Indian state — and within those forests lie some of Asia's most extraordinary wildlife landscapes. The state straddles two of the world's great biodiversity hotspots: the Eastern Himalaya and the Indo-Burma region. Its forests sheltered the last known individuals of species that disappeared from the rest of the subcontinent decades or centuries ago. They contain river valleys that rank among the world's most biologically rich terrestrial ecosystems. And they are under mounting pressure from some of the largest hydropower projects ever proposed on the Asian continent.

The Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department — the state government body responsible for managing this extraordinary natural heritage — generates vast quantities of official records: wildlife census data, forest clearance files, FRA 2006 claim verification reports, compensatory afforestation accounts, encroachment action taken reports, and wildlife crime registers. Every one of these records is accessible to citizens under the Right to Information Act, 2005. This guide explains what information can be obtained, from whom, and how to pursue it through to the Arunachal Pradesh Information Commission (APIC) if necessary.

Arunachal Pradesh Forest Governance Structure

The Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department is headquartered at Naharlagun (adjacent to Itanagar, the state capital). The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force is the apex officer, supported by Additional PCCFs handling specific wings (Wildlife, CAMPA, Working Plan, Social Forestry). Below the PCCF sit Chief Conservators of Forests (CCFs) for administrative regions and Conservators of Forests (CFs) supervising multiple districts. At the field level, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) is the primary operational officer for each forest division, assisted by Range Forest Officers (RFOs), Deputy Range Forest Officers (DRFOs), and Forest Guards (Foresters and Van Rakshaks).

For tiger reserves and national parks, there is a parallel command structure: each protected area is headed by a Field Director (typically a senior IFS officer) or a Wildlife Warden who reports on wildlife and protected area management matters separately. Namdapha NP/TR and Pakke TR/Pakhui TR have Field Directors. Dibang WLS and Mehao WLS are administered by DFO-level officers.

The jurisdictional complexity in Arunachal Pradesh is significant. Unlike most other Indian states, Arunachal Pradesh has no general system of private land ownership derived from British-era settlement records. The vast majority of land in the state is community-owned under the customary law of the 26 or more tribal communities that inhabit it — similar to the customary land system in Nagaland. The Forest Department's jurisdiction is confined to government-notified reserved forests, protected forests, national parks, and wildlife sanctuaries. Land that has always been under customary tribal ownership and was never notified as government forest is outside the Forest Department's jurisdictional ambit, and RTI about such land should be addressed to the district Revenue authorities, not the Forest Department.

For RTI purposes, the DFO of the relevant forest division is typically the correct first point of contact for field-level records. For state-level aggregated data, CAMPA policy, or wildlife headquarters records, file with the CPIO at the PCCF's office, Naharlagun – 791110, Arunachal Pradesh.

Namdapha National Park: A Wildlife Treasure Without Equal

Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve, located in Changlang district at the eastern tip of India bordering Myanmar, is one of the world's most extraordinary protected areas. At 1,985 sq km, it is one of India's largest national parks, and it is India's easternmost national park and tiger reserve. What sets Namdapha apart from every other protected area on Earth is a combination that no other single location can claim: all four big cat species — tiger (Panthera tigris), leopard (Panthera pardus), snow leopard (Panthera uncia), and clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) — inhabit the park simultaneously. This reflects the park's extraordinary altitudinal range, from approximately 200 metres in the tropical Noa-Dihing river valley to 4,500 metres in the alpine reaches near the Dapha Bum ridge, which allows each species to occupy its preferred altitudinal zone within a single contiguous landscape.

Beyond the four big cats, Namdapha harbours the eastern hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys), one of India's two gibbon species and increasingly rare; the red panda (Ailurus fulgens); the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus); the gaur; the Namdapha flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi), an endemic species known from a single specimen collected in the park and one of the rarest mammals in the world; and an extraordinary diversity of bird life including the white-winged duck (now critically endangered), multiple hornbill species, and numerous Himalayan species at the limits of their range.

The Lisu/Lishu Encroachment Issue

One of the most complex conservation challenges at Namdapha is the presence of the Lisu community (also called Lishu or Yobin), an ethnic group with roots in Myanmar and China who have lived inside and around the Namdapha boundary for generations. A significant number of Lisu settlements and agricultural plots exist within the notified boundaries of Namdapha National Park, creating an ongoing conflict between protected area law (the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 prohibits any habitation inside a national park's core zone) and the community's ancestral presence in the landscape. The Forest Department's records on the extent of this encroachment, the number of affected families, the area under cultivation, and the action taken (or not taken) are of great public interest and are accessible via RTI.

Wildlife Census and Monitoring Data

The Forest Department, in collaboration with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), conducts periodic wildlife estimations in Namdapha TR. However, because of the park's extreme terrain and inaccessibility, these estimations are methodologically challenging, and data on the four big cat species — especially snow leopard and clouded leopard — is sparse. RTI can obtain whatever census or estimation data the Field Director's office holds, including camera trap data summaries, track-based indices, and NTCA-mandated monitoring records. Where the department holds data but claims it is confidential, this claim must be evaluated against Section 8 of the RTI Act — routine census data on wildlife populations does not qualify for any standard RTI exemption.

Pakke Tiger Reserve: The World's Hornbill Nest-Box Story

Pakke Tiger Reserve (also called Pakhui Tiger Reserve), covering 862 sq km in East Kameng district, is a Project Tiger reserve and arguably the site of India's most celebrated community-based wildlife conservation programme: the Hornbill Nest Adoption Programme.

Pakke TR is home to four hornbill species: the great hornbill (Buceros bicornis), wreathed hornbill (Rhyticeros undulatus), oriental pied hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris), and the rufous-necked hornbill (Aceros nipalensis). All four species are cavity nesters — they breed in large natural tree hollows, which are increasingly scarce as mature forest trees decline. The Nishi community, the indigenous group with ancestral connections to the Pakke landscape, historically hunted hornbills — particularly great hornbills — for their distinctive beaks and casques, which are incorporated into traditional Nishi headdresses (tapi) worn by community elders.

Beginning in the early 2000s, a transformation began. Young Nishi community members, working with the Forest Department and conservation organisations, organised as the Ghora Aabhe Society (literally "hornbill people" in Nishi). Rather than hunting hornbills, they began protecting known nest holes from poachers, monitoring active nests throughout the breeding season, and establishing community anti-poaching camps at key locations inside and around the reserve. Subsequently, the programme expanded to include artificial nest boxes — large wooden boxes installed high in suitable trees to supplement the shrinking supply of natural nest cavities.

The result has been internationally recognised: Pakke's hornbill programme received the prestigious Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar (India's highest environmental award), and the Ghora Aabhe Society has been cited as a model of successful indigenous-led conservation in academic literature and conservation journalism globally.

The Forest Department is a key institutional partner in this programme. Its Field Director's office maintains records of: nest box installation (number, locations, years); nest monitoring outcomes (active nests, breeding pairs, nest success rates); CAMPA or government grants disbursed to the Ghora Aabhe Society; and community anti-poaching camp records. RTI filed with the CPIO, Field Director, Pakke TR, is the correct route to access all of these records.

Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary: Biodiversity at the Edge

Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary, sprawling across 4,149 sq km in Dibang Valley district, is one of India's largest protected areas and one of its most poorly studied. The sanctuary lies in the Mishmi Hills, a landscape of extraordinary biological richness that has been described by ornithologists and mammalogists as among the most diverse terrestrial ecosystems on Earth per unit area.

The sanctuary is home to a suite of species found nowhere else or found extremely rarely, including:

• The Mishmi takin (Budorcas taxicolor taxicolor), a subspecies of the takin endemic to the Mishmi Hills
• The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), increasingly endangered across its range
• The Mishmi wren-babbler (Spelaeornis oatesi), a secretive bird endemic to the Mishmi Hills
• The clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), one of Asia's least-known large felids
• Numerous endemic plant species in the undisturbed subtropical and temperate forest zones

The Dibang valley is simultaneously the proposed site of the Dibang Multipurpose Project (Etalin HEP), a massive hydropower project that would, if built, inundate a significant portion of the valley — including areas of critical wildlife habitat. The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) considered the Etalin HEP proposal over several years, raising concerns about biodiversity impacts; the project remained in a state of procedural limbo as of the mid-2020s. The Forest Department's own inspection reports, field assessments, and any representations it made to MoEFCC or the FAC regarding the Dibang WLS impact are official records accessible via RTI.

Other Protected Areas

Beyond the three flagship areas, Arunachal Pradesh's protected area network includes:

Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary (281 sq km, Lower Dibang Valley district) — protects a portion of the Dibang river drainage, with significant bird diversity including the white-winged duck.

Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (218 sq km, West Kameng district) — world-famous among birdwatchers for its extraordinary avian diversity; recorded over 450 bird species, including several discovered or rediscovered here in the 2000s (Bugun liocichla, discovered in 2006, is endemic to this area).

Kane Wildlife Sanctuary (32 sq km, Lohit district) — small but important for Lohit valley species.

Kamlang Tiger Reserve (Lohit district) — the state's third tiger reserve.

Mouling National Park (483 sq km, Upper Siang district) — protects high-altitude Siang landscape; listed as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site as part of the Khangchendzonga cluster.

The Hydropower Saga: 150 Projects, One Valley, One River

No single issue has more deeply shaped public debate about Arunachal Pradesh's forests than hydropower. The state has an estimated hydropower potential of over 58,000 MW — among the highest in the world — and successive governments have licensed hundreds of projects across every major river system, often with minimal environmental assessment and without meaningful free, prior, and informed consent from affected tribal communities.

The two projects that have generated the most sustained controversy are:

Dibang Multipurpose Project (Etalin HEP)

The Etalin HEP in Dibang Valley would be one of the largest hydropower projects ever built in India, requiring the diversion of thousands of hectares of dense forest in the Dibang valley. Expert ecologists, the Wildlife Institute of India, and multiple members of the Forest Advisory Committee raised concerns about the irreversible loss of one of Asia's most biodiverse valleys. The FAC's deliberations on this project spanned years and included requests for additional environmental impact data. The state Forest Department's recommendations, NOCs, and correspondence with MoEFCC on this project are RTI-accessible from the PCCF's office.

Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP)

The SUMP, proposed on the Siang river in Upper Siang district, has faced fierce opposition from the Adi community — the indigenous tribal group whose ancestral lands, villages, and river-dependent livelihoods lie in the proposed reservoir zone. The Adi community's protests have been among the most sustained and organised tribal environmental movements in the Northeast. The Forest Department's records on forest land diversion for SUMP — area proposed, category of forest, compensatory afforestation requirements, field inspection reports — are accessible via RTI from the relevant DFO's office or the PCCF's office.

The CIC vs APIC Distinction for Hydropower RTIs

When filing RTI related to hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh, citizens must correctly identify whether their query is addressed to a Central Government body or a state body:

• RTI to NHPC, NEEPCO, SJVNL, or other Central PSUs (project developers): these are Central bodies — second appeal to CIC.
• RTI to MoEFCC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, New Delhi): Central body — second appeal to CIC.
• RTI to the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department (state NOC, state forest diversion recommendation, state field inspection reports): state body — second appeal to APIC.
• RTI to the Arunachal Pradesh Pollution Control Board (environmental consent, CTE/CTO): state body — second appeal to APIC.
• RTI to HPDCA (Hydropower Development Corporation of Arunachal Pradesh, a state PSU): state body — second appeal to APIC.

Filing the wrong appeal — such as taking a state Forest Department matter to the CIC — will result in the appeal being dismissed as non-maintainable, and will cost valuable time.

Forest Rights Act 2006 and Customary Tribal Land

The Forest Rights Act 2006 was enacted to recognise the rights of tribal and other traditional forest dwellers who were cultivating or residing in forest land before 13 December 2005. In Arunachal Pradesh, the FRA's implementation is complicated by a factor unique to the state: the vast majority of Arunachal Pradesh's land is community-owned under the customary law of its tribal communities, not government land. Unlike most other Indian states where colonial-era surveys created government-held forest reserves, Arunachal Pradesh's land — particularly in the eastern and central districts — has long been recognized as belonging to tribal communities under customary ownership systems.

This creates a layered legal situation: FRA 2006 applies to government-notified reserved forests and protected areas within Arunachal Pradesh where tribal communities have traditional use or residence claims. The Forest Department's role in FRA processing — field verification reports, NOCs or objections submitted to the SDLC and DLC — is fully subject to RTI.

Arunachal Pradesh has 26 or more officially recognised major tribes, including the Adi (Upper Siang, East Siang), Nyishi (across multiple districts), Apatani (Ziro valley, Lower Subansiri), Galo (West Siang), Mishmi/Idu Mishmi (Dibang Valley), Miju Mishmi (Lohit), Digaru Mishmi (Lohit), Wancho (Tirap), Tangsa (Changlang), and Lisu/Lishu/Yobin (Changlang, near Namdapha). Each community has distinct customary land tenure arrangements. RTI can be used to surface: the number of IFR and CFR claims filed by members of specific communities for specific districts; the Forest Department's field verification reports on those claims; any written objections filed by the DFO before the SDLC; and the current approval/rejection status at each tier (SDLC, DLC).

Citizens should be aware that the Inner Line Permit (ILP) — required under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, for non-Arunachal Pradesh residents to enter most of the state — does not affect the right to file an RTI application. RTI applications can be submitted online via rtionline.gov.in or by post; neither requires an ILP.

CAMPA Fund Utilisation: Accountability in Remote Terrain

The Compensatory Afforestation Fund collects money from project proponents who divert forest land for hydropower, roads, and other infrastructure, and those funds must be used for afforestation and forest protection in the state. Given the scale of forest diversion for hydropower and road projects in Arunachal Pradesh, CAMPA funds flowing to the state are substantial.

However, monitoring CAMPA fund utilisation in Arunachal Pradesh is particularly challenging because of the state's extreme terrain and remoteness. Survival audits of compensatory plantations — essential for assessing whether the money was actually used to establish viable new forest cover — are difficult to conduct in remote valley systems. RTI is a valuable tool for verifying: the total CAMPA funds received by each forest division; the works executed and expenditure under each head; the GPS-mapped locations of plantations; and the survival audit findings. Where plantation records show large expenditure but low or unverified survival rates, RTI-based scrutiny creates a public accountability mechanism.

How to Identify the Correct CPIO

The Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department has CPIOs/SPIOs designated at each office level:

• For field-level records in a specific division (encroachment ATRs, FRA verification, CAMPA works, wildlife incidents): file with the CPIO, DFO's office, for the relevant forest division (e.g., Changlang, Lohit, East Siang, Dibang Valley, East Kameng, Tawang).
• For Namdapha NP/TR records (wildlife census, tiger deaths, encroachment inside NP, management plan): file with the CPIO, Field Director, Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Miao, Changlang district.
• For Pakke TR/Pakhui TR records (hornbill census, nest-box programme, wildlife crime, elephant data): file with the CPIO, Field Director, Pakke Tiger Reserve, Seijosa, East Kameng district.
• For Dibang WLS records: file with the CPIO, Wildlife Warden / DFO, Dibang Valley district.
• For state-level CAMPA utilisation, hydropower clearance recommendations, or aggregated statewide data: file with the CPIO, PCCF's office, Naharlagun – 791110, Arunachal Pradesh.

If you are unsure of the correct office, file with the PCCF's office, which is required under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act to transfer your application to the appropriate CPIO within 5 days. Keep a copy of this transfer to track the new response deadline.

How to File RTI with the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department

Step 1: Draft Your Application

Use the sample RTI above as a starting point. Be precise about the protected area or forest division, the district, the financial year, and — for encroachment queries — the compartment number and range. Separate each information request into a numbered point; vague or bundled requests are more easily evaded. For CAMPA queries, specify the financial year range and the type of works. For FRA queries, include the claim reference number and the claimant's community/tribe.

Step 2: File Online or by Post

The central RTI portal at rtionline.gov.in accepts applications to state government public authorities in Arunachal Pradesh. You can also submit a physical application by registered post addressed to the CPIO of the relevant DFO's or PCCF's office. The application fee is ₹10, payable via Indian Postal Order (IPO), demand draft, or online payment through the portal. BPL cardholders are exempt from the fee — attach a copy of the BPL card.

Step 3: Track the Timeline

Under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005, the CPIO must respond within 30 days of receipt. If the information concerns the life or liberty of a person, the response is due within 48 hours under the Section 7(1) proviso. Keep your acknowledgement number or postal receipt.

Step 4: First and Second Appeals

If the Forest Department does not respond within 30 days, or provides an incomplete or evasive response:

• First Appeal under Section 19(1): File with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) within the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department — typically the Conservator of Forests (CF) of the relevant circle for a DFO-level RTI, or a senior officer designated by the PCCF for headquarters-level RTIs. File within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. No fee is required.
• Second Appeal under Section 19(3): If the FAA's response is absent or unsatisfactory, file with the Arunachal Pradesh Information Commission (APIC) within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the FAA's response period. No fee is payable. Under Section 20 of the RTI Act, APIC can impose a penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000 maximum) on the CPIO personally for delay or denial without reasonable cause, and can recommend disciplinary action.

Jurisdictional Note: APIC — Not CIC

The Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department is entirely a state public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005. This means:

• All First Appeals go to the FAA within the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department.
• All Second Appeals go to the Arunachal Pradesh Information Commission (APIC) — constituted under Section 15 of the RTI Act as Arunachal Pradesh's State Information Commission.
• The Central Information Commission (CIC) has absolutely no jurisdiction over the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department, any of its field offices, or any other Arunachal Pradesh state government body.

A common — and costly — mistake is to confuse the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which is a Central Government body under MoEFCC, with the state tiger reserve field offices. RTI filed with NTCA headquarters goes to a Central authority (second appeal: CIC). RTI filed with the Field Director, Namdapha TR, or Field Director, Pakke TR, goes to a state authority (second appeal: APIC). Always confirm which tier of government you are addressing before filing the second appeal.

Practical Tips for an Effective Forest RTI in Arunachal Pradesh

• Allow for postal delays in remote divisions. Forest division offices in Changlang, Dibang Valley, Tawang, and Upper Siang may have irregular postal connectivity. Use registered post with acknowledgement due (RPAD) and retain the postal receipt. If the RTI portal acknowledgement shows a date of receipt, use that date to calculate the 30-day deadline.
• For hornbill programme RTIs at Pakke TR, ask specifically for the nest monitoring logbooks or annual nest success reports rather than just a summary — the logbooks will contain richer data on nest locations, species, and outcomes.
• For hydropower clearance RTIs, ask for both the State Government's recommendation letter sent to MoEFCC and the Forest Advisory Committee's queries and the department's responses — together they document the full state of the environmental review process.
• For Namdapha encroachment RTIs, specify the geographic location (range and beat) in addition to "Lisu community settlement areas" — this forces the department to identify specific compartments and areas rather than providing a vague summary.
• For CAMPA plantation RTIs, request GPS coordinates of plantation areas alongside the survival audit percentage — discrepancies between plantation area on paper and verifiable GPS boundaries are a common indicator of incomplete implementation.
• For FRA RTIs, file with both the DFO's office (for the field verification report) and the District Collector's office (for the DLC's proceedings and the SDLC records) — both offices hold portions of the FRA process record, and both are subject to RTI.
• Do not conflate Central Government hydropower bodies with state bodies. File separate RTIs with the Central developer (NHPC/NEEPCO) via rtionline.gov.in and with the APPFD via the same portal or by post. These are separate entities with separate RTI hierarchies.