CAG Audit Uncovers Systemic Environmental Violations in Gujarat's Protected Areas
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has uncovered serious and systematic violations in road widening projects and land-use approvals near Gujarat's ecologically sensitive protected forests and wildlife sanctuaries. Government agencies have repeatedly bypassed crucial environmental regulations and failed to coordinate effectively, putting fragile ecosystems at risk.
Unauthorized Land Diversion Without Mandatory Clearances
In its comprehensive audit report covering the period up to March 2024, CAG investigators found that land was illegally diverted for road widening projects inside wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, eco-sensitive zones, and protected and reserved forests. These activities occurred without obtaining the mandatory clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). These areas are precisely where development activity is tightly regulated due to their ecological fragility and importance for biodiversity conservation.
Widespread Misuse of No Objection Certificates and Land Permissions
The audit flagged extensive misuse of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and non-agricultural (NA) land permissions across multiple districts. In numerous instances, NOCs for NA activities were granted in direct violation of eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) notifications governing the concerned protected areas, as well as the state's own policy for regulating development in their periphery.
District collectors issued NA permissions without first securing the required NOC from the forest department in several cases, while some permissions went even further than what the NOC had specifically authorized. CAG identified 35 such cases across 16 villages where NA permission was granted between May 2019 and November 2024 without proper NOC from the competent forest authority.
Among the most concerning findings were land parcels within a kilometer of the Blackbuck National Park and Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary—zones where construction is subject to strict environmental restrictions and heightened scrutiny.
Overriding Expert Recommendations and Misclassification of Activities
In six additional cases, NA permissions were granted for "multipurpose" use, even though the NOCs had been issued only for specific purposes such as eco-tourism, commercial, or residential activity. This represents a clear expansion of authorized activities beyond what environmental authorities had approved.
The report also highlighted that in five specific instances, the Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife Circle) in Junagadh had specifically recommended that NOCs should not be issued due to environmental concerns. Despite these expert recommendations, the Chief Wildlife Warden overrode them and approved the certificates anyway.
Questionable Classification of Industrial Activities
The audit further noted problematic classification of industrial activities in sensitive areas. In Banaskantha district, petrol pumps were classified as "regulated" activity in eco-sensitive zones, when they should arguably be treated as prohibited given rules concerning hazardous chemicals and their potential environmental impact.
In Gir East, solar plants were allowed as "green technology" projects, even though auditors found they qualified as industrial production activity. This categorization difference is significant because industrial production activity would have triggered a stricter environmental review process with more rigorous assessment requirements.
The CAG report paints a troubling picture of environmental governance in Gujarat's most sensitive ecological zones, revealing multiple layers of regulatory failure that have allowed development to proceed without proper environmental safeguards.
