Itanagar: The civil secretariat and the state legislative assembly — the power centres of Arunachal Pradesh — were allegedly constructed without obtaining mandatory environmental clearances, despite being located within the legally notified boundaries of the Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary (IWS), according to official records accessed through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The revelation emerged in response to an RTI filed by environmental activist and advocate S Loda, which sought details from 1978 to the present regarding the legal status, biodiversity, construction activities, and ecological impacts within IWS.
The reply from the office of the Deputy Chief Wildlife Warden, Naharlagun, confirmed that neither the state secretariat nor the assembly complex received clearance, as required under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
The RTI response further states that no construction permission or environmental clearance has been issued for any building within the sanctuary boundaries from 1980 to now—a period that covers all major administrative infrastructure expansion in the Itanagar Capital Region.
The Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary was formally notified on February 20, 1978, covering approximately 140.8 square kilometres. The RTI response included certified copies of the original notification and subsequent amendments but confirmed that the sanctuary’s legal status under the Wildlife Protection Act remains intact.
The secretariat was sanctioned in 2009-10 and was dedicated to the people on February 15, 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while the assembly was inaugurated by the then President of India Ram Nath Kovind a few months earlier on November 19, 2017.
Maps enclosed with the reply show that large portions of the capital’s urban expansion—including the state assembly, civil secretariat, Indira Gandhi Park, and areas around Ganga Lake (Gekar Sinyik)—fall within the sanctuary limits.
When specifically asked about the legality of the establishment of the Itanagar Municipal Corporation and the 13th ST Assembly Constituency within the sanctuary, the department responded unequivocally: “Not legal.”
The Deputy Chief Wildlife Warden’s office in its reply also admitted that it has no records of forest land diversion for administrative or construction purposes within IWS, nor does it possess any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports related to major infrastructure development inside the sanctuary. No records of compensatory afforestation or official objections raised against these constructions were found either.
Despite the legal significance of the sanctuary, no scientific studies or surveys have been undertaken to assess the degradation of critical wildlife habitats, fragmentation of wildlife corridors, or loss of forest cover.
Key environmental indicators such as reduction in effective habitat area, fragmentation of corridors, disruption of seasonal migration routes and degradation of water sources and wetlands were all marked as “Not Done” in the department’s response.
The impact on the sanctuary’s hydrology, such as altered drainage patterns or contamination of waterholes, also remains undocumented.
Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary was once home to a thriving population of Indian elephants, clouded leopards, slow loris, wild dogs, and over 50 species of birds and reptiles, many of which are classified as “threatened.” An official annexure of endangered species submitted with the RTI reply details an alarming decline, with frequent sightings becoming increasingly rare due to human encroachment.
According to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, forest cover in Arunachal Pradesh accounts for 78.67% of the state’s total geographical area. However, other sources, such as Testbook, place the figure slightly higher at 80.30%. The ISFR 2023 also highlights a concerning decline, noting that the state lost approximately 549 square kilometers of forest cover between 2021 and 2023.
Speaking to Hindustan Times on the condition of anonymity, a senior forest officer revealed that not just the Civil Secretariat and the State Legislative Assembly, but a majority of both government and private infrastructure in Itanagar fall within the notified area of the Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
“There were only about four villages when the Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary was officially notified in 1978. No separate land was earmarked for Itanagar to serve as the state capital. However, after Arunachal Pradesh attained statehood in 1987, the infrastructure boom began,” he said.
Over time, the Civil Secretariat, the State Legislative Assembly, and other major government establishments were constructed within the sanctuary limits, he added.
The officer clarified that the Forest Department is merely the custodian of the land and does not have the authority to notify or de-notify any wildlife sanctuary or forest land.
“The government is aware of the situation, and several high-level meetings have already taken place on the matter. It is important to understand that the Land Management Department is now the user agency. The government must file an interlocutory application before the Supreme Court and seek rationalization for the existing land use and any future expansion,” the officer said.
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“Even a status quo order could help the government buy time to work out a viable solution,” he added.
Environmentalist Loda, meanwhile, said that years of conflicting claims and counterclaims between the government and various departments have only worsened the encroachment and loss of land within the sanctuary.
“I will soon approach the National Green Tribunal or the Supreme Court to seek protection for the sanctuary. We cannot allow people to continue destroying the land like this,” Loda said.
“Evictions are no longer feasible, and the government itself is now among the encroachers. Let the court decide the matter — I believe there’s still a lot we can save,” he added.
An official from the Chief Minister’s Office, requesting anonymity, said that the state government is aware of the issue and is in the process of filing an interlocutory application.
“We are currently compiling the necessary data, as we want to file the application with comprehensive details—not just for Itanagar, but for other parts of the state where similar issues exist. The present government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Pema Khandu, is committed to rectifying historical oversights, and I am confident that the matter will reach a logical conclusion,” he said.
Hindustan Times also attempted to contact the Forest Minister for a statement. The minister directed queries to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), who could not be reached despite repeated attempts to do so.