RTI for Meghalaya Forest Department — Nokrek NP, Balphakram NP, Sacred Groves and Coal Mining Records

Meghalaya's forests are among the most biologically rich and institutionally complex in the country. With approximately 78% forest cover, a tradition of sacred grove (law kyntang) conservation stretching back centuries, two national parks in the Garo Hills, a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve, internationally significant wildlife corridors, and a coal mining crisis that has poisoned rivers and claimed lives, the Meghalaya Forest Department sits at the intersection of biodiversity, tribal rights, environmental compliance, and governance accountability. Every function this department performs — from wildlife protection and forest encroachment control to FRA 2006 implementation and CAMPA fund management — generates official records to which Indian citizens are entitled under the Right to Information Act, 2005.

This guide explains what information the Meghalaya Forest Department holds, how to identify the correct CPIO, how to draft and file an effective RTI application, and how to pursue appeals — including through the Meghalaya State Information Commission (Meghalaya SIC) at the second appeal stage. A critical note appears throughout: all second appeals from Meghalaya Forest Department RTIs go to the Meghalaya SIC, not the CIC.

Meghalaya's Forest Governance Structure

The Meghalaya Forest Department operates under a vertical hierarchy headquartered in Shillong. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force (HoFF) is the apex officer, with the PCCF's office located at Lower Lachumiere, Shillong – 793001. Below the PCCF are Additional PCCFs handling specific wings (Wildlife, CAMPA, Social Forestry, Vigilance), Conservators of Forests (CFs) supervising regional circles, and at the field level, Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) responsible for each forest division. Each DFO is assisted by Range Forest Officers (RFOs), Deputy Range Forest Officers (DRFOs), and Forest Guards at the block and beat level.

For wildlife and protected area matters, the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWL Warden) — typically at the PCCF rank or Additional PCCF level — has jurisdiction over national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, with DFO-level Wildlife Wardens managing individual protected areas.

For RTI purposes, the DFO of the relevant forest division or wildlife division is the correct first point of contact for field-level records — encroachment action taken reports, coal mining FIRs, wildlife incidents, FRA field verification reports, and CAMPA works at the division level. For state-level consolidated data, CAMPA policy records, or wildlife headquarters information, file with the CPIO at the PCCF's office, Lower Lachumiere, Shillong.

The Sixth Schedule Context

Meghalaya's forest governance is shaped fundamentally by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Unlike most states, where forest land outside notified reserves and national parks is presumed to be government land, vast areas of Meghalaya are governed by customary law under three Autonomous District Councils:

• Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) — Khasi community land in East and West Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi
• Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) — Jaintia/Pnar community land in East and West Jaintia Hills
• Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GaDC) — Garo community land in all six Garo Hills districts

Under the Sixth Schedule, community land (rymbai, ri kynmaw, or clan land) is owned collectively by the Khasi/Jaintia clans or Garo villages, not by the state government. This creates a legally complex jurisdiction: national parks (Nokrek, Balphakram) and wildlife sanctuaries (Siju, Nongkhyllem) notified under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, are administered by the state Forest Department; but the surrounding community and private lands — including much of the land where coal mining occurs and where sacred groves are located — fall under the customary authority of the District Councils.

For RTI applicants, this means: RTI to the Meghalaya Forest Department obtains forest department records; RTI about District Council community land decisions must be addressed to the respective District Council's CPIO. The Meghalaya Forest Department's second appeals go to the Meghalaya SIC; District Council RTI second appeals may follow a different path.

Nokrek National Park and Biosphere Reserve

Nokrek National Park (47.48 sq km) in West Garo Hills is the jewel of Meghalaya's protected area network — and arguably one of India's most botanically significant protected areas. Notified as a national park in 1986, Nokrek was designated as a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve in 2009 (note: this is a Biosphere Reserve designation, not a World Heritage Site). The park serves as the core zone of the larger Nokrek Biosphere Reserve.

Nokrek's global botanical significance lies in its wild citrus gene bank. Research has established that the Garo Hills region — and Nokrek's forests in particular — are the origin centre of the genus Citrus. Wild species including Citrus indica (Indian wild orange), Citrus macroptera, and related species growing naturally in Nokrek's forests represent the ancestral stock of virtually every citrus fruit consumed worldwide: oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins, and citrons. The preservation of this genetic diversity is of immense agricultural and nutritional importance; loss of these wild populations to encroachment or fire could permanently impoverish the global citrus gene pool.

Beyond its botanical significance, Nokrek shelters a remarkable fauna: red panda (Ailurus fulgens, listed Endangered on the IUCN Red List), Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock, Endangered), clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), Assam macaque (Macaca assamensis), leopard, wild pig, barking deer, and a wide range of birds and reptiles. The forested landscape around Nokrek is also critical elephant habitat — human–elephant conflict in villages on the periphery of the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is a persistent and sometimes fatal challenge for local communities.

What RTI Can Obtain for Nokrek

RTI applications to the CPIO, DFO (Wildlife), Nokrek Wildlife Division or the CPIO, PCCF's office, Shillong can obtain:

• Wildlife census figures (camera trap or direct count) for red panda, elephant, hoolock gibbon, and clouded leopard, covering the most recent census exercises (All India Wildlife Estimation or state-level estimates)
• Wildlife death records for Nokrek NP — species, cause (natural mortality, poaching, electrocution, conflict), date, post-mortem details, FIR numbers where applicable
• Wildlife crime case details: FIRs, species involved, nature of offence, arrest records, prosecution stage
• Boundary demarcation records for the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve core, buffer, and transition zones, including any updates since the 2009 UNESCO designation
• Human–elephant conflict incident records and ex-gratia payment status for affected families
• Management plan for Nokrek NP — approval status, implementing authority, and progress on key interventions

Balphakram National Park

Balphakram National Park (220 sq km) in South Garo Hills is significantly larger than Nokrek and ecologically distinct. The park encompasses the Balpakram plateau — a dramatic high-altitude tableland carved by rivers into deep gorges, known locally as the 'land of perpetual winds' (from Garo: balpakram, the wind that never ceases). In Garo belief, Balpakram is the resting place of the souls of the dead — a place of deep spiritual significance that has historically ensured a degree of community protection for the landscape.

The park's terrain — a mix of subtropical broadleaf forest in the lower slopes, subtropical grassland on the plateau, and moist deciduous forest in the river valleys — supports a rich and partially surveyed fauna. Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is present in the park and the Garo Hills represent one of its significant strongholds in India. Western hoolock gibbon, Asian elephant, gaur (Indian bison) (Bos gaurus), serow (Capricornis sumatraensis), capped langur, Himalayan black bear, and Malayan giant squirrel are among the documented species. The park is contiguous with forest areas in Bangladesh (Modhupur National Forest area), giving it transboundary conservation significance.

Balphakram faces encroachment pressure from agricultural expansion, particularly from communities in the South Garo Hills who practice shifting cultivation (jhum) — a traditional and legally recognised land use in many Garo areas — and from the general pressures of population growth on forest boundaries.

What RTI Can Obtain for Balphakram

RTI to the CPIO, DFO (Wildlife), Balphakram Wildlife Division / South Garo Hills or the PCCF's office can obtain:

• Wildlife population estimates from the most recent monitoring exercise for clouded leopard, elephant, gaur, hoolock gibbon, and other key species
• Encroachment detection records: number of cases, area encroached, action taken (notice, prosecution, eviction), and compartment-level details
• Management plan status: whether the current plan period's management plan has been approved and implemented
• Human–wildlife conflict records and ex-gratia payments
• Records of any joint forest management or eco-development committee activities in villages adjoining the park

Siju Wildlife Sanctuary

Siju Wildlife Sanctuary (5.18 sq km, South Garo Hills) is a compact but ecologically important reserve protecting the Siju Cave system — one of the longest natural caves in India, carved by the Simsang River through limestone. The cave system hosts spectacular bat colonies (several species of horseshoe bats), and the Simsang River in the area supports Ganges river dolphins (Platanista gangetica), an endangered freshwater species. The sanctuary is also an important site for wintering migratory birds. RTI to the DFO of South Garo Hills can access wildlife surveys, encroachment records, and cave management data for Siju WLS.

Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary

Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary (29 sq km, Ri-Bhoi district) is a small but strategically vital protected area. Located in the rolling hills of Ri-Bhoi district in the East Khasi Hills region, Nongkhyllem sits at the southern edge of the Garo-Khasi-Jaintia Hills elephant corridor — a landscape-scale movement path for elephants between Meghalaya's forests and Assam's Kaziranga National Park and Karbi Anglong forests to the north. Camera trap surveys have recorded Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), clouded leopard, Asian elephant, leopard, and a range of deer and smaller carnivores. RTI to the DFO, Ri-Bhoi Forest Division can access wildlife monitoring data, elephant corridor records, and human–wildlife conflict figures for the Nongkhyllem landscape.

Sacred Groves: Law Kyntang and the Forest Department's Role

Meghalaya's sacred groves — called law kyntang in Khasi (literally, 'sacred forest' or 'forbidden forest'), law lyngdoh in Jaintia areas, and having Garo equivalents — represent one of the world's oldest and most effective systems of community-based forest conservation. Historically maintained by Khasi and Jaintia clans around sacred springs, hilltops, rivers, and ritual sites, law kyntang groves are typically managed under customary law by the headman (myntri) and community elders. Cutting trees, hunting, or removing any plant material from the grove is prohibited — violations attract traditional penalties. Meghalaya has over 100 documented sacred groves across the Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills, ranging in size from under a hectare to over a hundred hectares.

The ecological value of law kyntang is extraordinary. Because the groves have often been undisturbed for centuries, they frequently preserve ancient trees, rare orchids, endemic plants, and seed banks of species that have been cleared elsewhere. Many sacred groves protect perennial springs that are the primary water sources for surrounding villages — the community's religious obligation to protect the grove is simultaneously an ecological service of enormous practical value.

Despite centuries of protection, law kyntang are under increasing pressure. Agricultural expansion, quarrying of the limestone hills around which groves are often located, and settlement growth have led to encroachments. Younger community members sometimes challenge traditional authority, reducing the social enforcement of customary rules. In some areas, the groves' very richness makes them targets for timber poaching.

The Meghalaya Forest Department's formal role in sacred grove protection is evolving. Under various central government schemes for biodiversity conservation and joint forest management, the Forest Department has engaged with communities around sacred grove demarcation, protection, and documentation. RTI applications can surface: the official register of law kyntang maintained by the Forest Department and Biodiversity Management Committees; records of any government scheme funds allocated for sacred grove protection; encroachment complaints received and action taken; and any demarcation surveys or boundary marking exercises.

The Coal Mining Crisis and Forest Compliance

Rat-Hole Mining and the NGT Ban

Meghalaya's coal seams — found primarily in the Jaintia Hills (East and West Jaintia Hills districts) and to a lesser extent in the Garo Hills — were historically extracted through rat-hole mining: a technique in which miners dig a series of small vertical shafts (typically 3–4 feet in diameter) into hillsides and then tunnel horizontally along the coal seam in extremely narrow passages. The passages are so narrow that only a person of small build (and historically, children) can work in them. The technique requires no mechanised equipment, is completely unregulated in practice, and is extraordinarily dangerous — mine collapses, flooding, and gas exposure have killed hundreds of miners over the decades.

Beyond the human cost, rat-hole mining generates massive environmental damage. Coal extraction without any backfilling or reclamation leaves a landscape riddled with unstable shafts and toxic overburden. Rainwater percolating through coal refuse and exposed rock generates acid mine drainage (AMD) — water with a pH sometimes below 2, leaching iron, sulfur, aluminum, and heavy metals. This acidic effluent enters rivers directly, turning them yellow-orange. The Lukha River in Jaintia Hills became emblematic of the disaster: once a source of drinking water and fish for riverside communities, the Lukha turned a striking bright yellow-orange from acid and iron precipitation, with pH levels in some stretches measured at 2 to 3 — comparable to vinegar. The Kopili River and its tributaries were similarly affected.

The NGT 2014 Order and Subsequent Litigation

In April 2014, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) passed a landmark order banning rat-hole mining in Meghalaya, citing the scale of environmental destruction and the absence of any scientific mining plan, environmental clearance, or safety measures. The NGT directed: cessation of all rat-hole mining; prohibition on transport of already-extracted coal from mining sites until a scientific assessment was completed; reclamation of affected mining areas; and river quality monitoring.

The order triggered prolonged litigation. Mine owners (many of them politically influential landowners operating on private and community land that, under the Sixth Schedule, is not subject to normal state mining regulation in the same way as elsewhere) challenged the ban. The Supreme Court of India also passed related orders. As of 2025, the coal mining situation in Meghalaya remains contested — there are reports of illegal mining continuing in parts of Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills despite the ban.

RTI for Coal Mining Compliance

RTI is a valuable tool for accessing compliance data from three angles:

1. Meghalaya Forest Department: For FIRs registered against rat-hole mining in designated forest areas, coal transport through forest roads, seizure records, and compliance reports submitted to the NGT/Supreme Court.
2. Meghalaya Mines and Geology Department: For the inventory of mining sites, compliance returns, and reclamation status.
3. Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MePCB): For consent-to-operate orders, river water quality monitoring data (especially pH levels in Lukha, Kopili tributaries), and inspection reports.

A coordinated RTI covering all three departments — filed simultaneously for the same period and district — gives the most comprehensive picture of enforcement gaps and ongoing violations.

FRA 2006 and the Sixth Schedule Interaction

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA 2006) recognises forest-dwelling communities' rights to land they were cultivating or residing in before 13 December 2005. In Meghalaya, FRA implementation is complicated by the Sixth Schedule's customary land ownership framework.

For Khasi and Jaintia communities, much of the land on which they reside and cultivate is customary community land (rymbai, ri kynmaw) governed by the KHADC and JHADC respectively — not government forest land in the conventional sense. The interaction between FRA 2006 (which applies to 'forest land') and the Sixth Schedule (which recognises customary community land as not being state land) creates legal complexity that is still being worked through in courts and administrative practice.

For Garo communities, particularly those in and around Nokrek NP and Balphakram NP in the Garo Hills, FRA claims within and adjacent to national park boundaries are particularly sensitive. The Forest Department's role is to conduct field verification and submit a field verification report to the SDLC. Where the Forest Department objects to a claim — on grounds such as the claim being inside a national park core area — the objection must be in writing, cite specific statutory provisions, and be placed before the DLC for consideration; the claimant must be given an opportunity to rebut it.

RTI applications in Meghalaya's FRA context can obtain: the field verification reports for specific claim numbers submitted by the DFO's office to the SDLC; the written objections filed by the Forest Department and the grounds stated; the date on which field verification reports were forwarded to the SDLC (revealing delays); and district-level FRA claim statistics disaggregated by claim type (IFR/CFR), status (verified, pending, rejected), and district. Filing RTI with both the DFO's office and the District Collector's office (for DLC proceedings) gives the fullest picture of the claim's trajectory.

CAMPA Fund Utilisation

The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) collects funds from project proponents who receive clearance to divert forest land for non-forest purposes — coal mining, limestone quarrying, road widening, dam construction — and those funds must be used for compensatory afforestation, wildlife management, and forest protection. Meghalaya receives CAMPA funds commensurate with the scale of forest diversion in the state, which has been significant given the scale of mining activity.

CAMPA funds in Meghalaya must be used under an Annual Plan of Operation (APO) approved by the State CAMPA Authority. RTI applications to the PCCF's office or the relevant DFO's office can obtain: total CAMPA funds received each year; the approved APO and the works listed; expenditure against each work; plantation survival audit results (the percentage of planted saplings alive at the one-year and three-year survival audit stages, which reveals whether the plantation was genuine or merely on paper); and unspent or lapsed amounts.

A particularly important RTI request is to ask specifically whether CAMPA compensatory afforestation has been planted in lieu of forest diverted for coal and limestone mining in Meghalaya — and if so, where those plantations are located, their GPS-mapped area, and their survival audit results. Discrepancies between the area for which diversion clearance was granted and the area for which CAMPA plantations can be verified on the ground reveal systemic failures in compensatory afforestation.

How to Identify the Correct CPIO

The Meghalaya Forest Department has CPIOs designated at each office level:

• For encroachment ATRs, coal mining FIRs, FRA verification records, CAMPA works, and wildlife incidents in a specific division: file with the CPIO, DFO's office, for the relevant forest division (e.g., East Garo Hills, West Garo Hills, South Garo Hills Balphakram, Nokrek Wildlife Division, East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, Ri-Bhoi).
• For Nokrek NP wildlife records and Biosphere Reserve boundary: file with the CPIO, DFO (Wildlife), Nokrek Wildlife Division, Tura / West Garo Hills.
• For Balphakram NP records: file with the CPIO, DFO (Wildlife), South Garo Hills Forest Division.
• For Nongkhyllem WLS records: file with the CPIO, DFO, Ri-Bhoi Forest Division.
• For state-level CAMPA utilisation, aggregated FRA statistics, or wildlife headquarters records: file with the CPIO, PCCF's office, Lower Lachumiere, Shillong – 793001.

If uncertain of the correct division, 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.

How to File RTI with the Meghalaya Forest Department

Step 1: Draft Your Application

Use the sample RTI above as a base. Be precise about the forest division, national park or wildlife sanctuary, district, and the financial year or date range. Number each information request separately — vague or bundled queries are more easily deflected. For coal mining queries, specify the district, the relevant NGT order date, and the period. For FRA queries, include the claim number and claimant's name where possible.

Step 2: File Online or by Post

Meghalaya state public authorities, including the Meghalaya Forest Department, are accessible through the central RTI portal at rtionline.gov.in, which allows online filing and payment of the ₹10 fee. You may also submit a physical application by registered post addressed to the CPIO of the relevant DFO's or PCCF's office. BPL cardholders are exempt from the ₹10 fee; attach a copy of your BPL card. Ensure the application is in English or Hindi (or accompanied by a translation), as these are the languages of the central RTI portal; the Forest Department may also accept Khasi, Garo, or Assamese-language applications submitted directly by post to state offices.

Step 3: Track the Response Timeline

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

Step 4: First Appeal

If the Forest Department does not respond within 30 days, or the response is incomplete, evasive, or incorrectly claims an exemption, file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act. Address the First Appeal to the First Appellate Authority (FAA) designated in the Meghalaya Forest Department — typically the Conservator of Forests (CF) for the circle in which the relevant DFO's office is located, or a senior officer designated by the PCCF's office. File within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. No fee is payable. The FAA must respond within 30 days (extendable to 45 days with reasons recorded in writing).

Step 5: Second Appeal to the Meghalaya State Information Commission

If the FAA does not respond or the response is unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal under Section 19(3) with the Meghalaya State Information Commission (Meghalaya SIC) within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the FAA's response period. No fee is payable. The Meghalaya SIC can direct the Forest Department to furnish specific information, and under Section 20 of the RTI Act, impose a penalty of ₹250 per day of delay (maximum ₹25,000) on the CPIO personally, as well as recommend departmental proceedings against erring officers.

Jurisdictional Alert: Meghalaya SIC — Not CIC

This point cannot be overstated. The Meghalaya Forest Department is entirely a state public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005. The Central Information Commission (CIC) has no jurisdiction over the Meghalaya Forest Department, any Meghalaya DFO's office, the PCCF's office, or the Meghalaya State CAMPA Authority. Filing a second appeal with the CIC for a Meghalaya Forest Department RTI will be rejected as non-maintainable.

All second appeals must go to the Meghalaya SIC, constituted under Section 15 of the RTI Act as Meghalaya's State Information Commission.

A separate confusion to avoid: RTI filed with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) or the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) — both Central Government bodies — are handled through the Central RTI hierarchy, with second appeals to the CIC. But RTI filed with the Field Director, Nokrek NP, or the DFO, Balphakram, are state public authority matters, and second appeals go to the Meghalaya SIC.

Practical Tips for an Effective Meghalaya Forest RTI

• For coal mining FIRs, specify the NGT order date. Your RTI asking for FIRs against rat-hole mining will be most effective if it cites the NGT's April 2014 order and asks specifically for FIRs registered after that date — and also asks for compliance reports submitted by the Forest Department to the NGT or Supreme Court. This frames the inquiry squarely in the known legal compliance context.
• For Nokrek wildlife data, ask for the citrus gene bank survey separately. Wildlife census and gene bank survey records are held by potentially different wings of the department. Ask for wildlife census data (fauna) and separately ask for any botanical survey or wild citrus monitoring conducted in Nokrek NP — the latter may be held by the state Biodiversity Board or a research institution, requiring a separate RTI.
• For FRA claims, ask for both the field verification report and the forwarding note. The field verification report tells you what the Forest Department concluded; the covering letter with which it was forwarded to the SDLC tells you when the department finally submitted it — revealing delay at that stage.
• For sacred grove records, file with the District Biodiversity Management Committee as well. Under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, every local body must maintain a People's Biodiversity Register (PBR) documenting local biodiversity resources, including sacred groves. RTI to the relevant district's Biodiversity Management Committee may yield additional records on law kyntang not held by the Forest Department.
• For CAMPA plantations, ask for GPS-mapped area and survival audit percentage. The combination of the mapped plantation area (which can be verified against satellite imagery) and the survival audit percentage is the most probative way to determine whether a CAMPA plantation was genuinely executed or remained on paper.
• For acid mine drainage data, coordinate with MePCB. The Meghalaya Forest Department holds FIR and coal transport records; the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MePCB) holds river water quality monitoring data including pH levels for the Lukha and Kopili tributaries. A parallel RTI to MePCB — asking for monthly pH readings at specific monitoring stations in the Lukha River for a given year — gives the most direct evidence of ongoing acid mine drainage.
• Engage District Council records where relevant. For any matter involving community land in Khasi, Jaintia, or Garo Hills areas — including sacred groves on clan land, coal mining on private community land, or FRA claims on land that may overlap with District Council-administered community forests — the relevant District Council (KHADC, JHADC, or GaDC) also holds records. A coordinated RTI covering both the Forest Department and the District Council gives the fullest picture of the governance landscape.