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Forest Advisory Committee recommends in-principle forest clearance for 1,000-MW Naying project

By CAShorts DeskPublished Source: The Indian Express (6 Nov 2026), citing the FAC minutes; Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (PARIVESH guidelines)

Forest Advisory Committee recommends in-principle forest clearance for 1,000-MW Naying project
Illustration (AI-generated)

The Union Environment Ministry's Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has recommended in-principle forest clearance for the 1,000-MW Naying Hydroelectric Project of NEEPCO on the Siyom river in Arunachal Pradesh. The recommendation, made at its meeting on 23 October, covers 470.8 hectares of unclassed forest. Under the forest rules, the Central Government decides whether to grant approval.

Syllabus: Prelims · Environment & Ecology; GS3 · Infrastructure; GS3 · Environment & Conservation

Why this matters for UPSC

GS3 environment: forest clearance under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980. Prelims can ask who approves forest diversion; Mains, hydropower against forests in the Siang basin.

Why it matters

For the 408 families in the 12 villages identified as affected, the Naying dam is now a step closer, and the forest at the site, with more than a lakh trees, could be felled. The Centre can still add conditions or refuse, and the State cannot hand over the land until forest dwellers' claims are settled. For the Siyom, the call for a free-flowing gap between two dams, drawn from a basin-wide study, shows projects being judged by what the whole river can bear, not one site at a time. The larger issue is how India builds hydropower in the Eastern Himalaya, along a border river, without losing the forests and the people who depend on them.

Prelims pointers

  • The Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 needs the Centre's prior approval before a State de-reserves a reserved forest or leases forest land to any private person or agency.
  • Clearing forest land to grow tea, coffee, rubber, palms or medicinal plants counts as a non-forest purpose under the Adhiniyam.
  • Works ancillary to forest and wildlife management, such as silvicultural operations, fire lines and check-posts for front-line staff, are not a non-forest purpose.
  • The State, not the Centre, issues the order diverting forest land, and it may do so only after the Centre's Final approval.
  • An In-Principle approval becomes void if its conditions stay unmet for more than two years.
  • The Kamla is a right-bank tributary of the Subansiri, while the Siyom joins the Siang; the Kamala and Naying projects are both in Arunachal Pradesh.

Practise a UPSC-style question

With reference to the Forest Advisory Committee's appraisal of hydroelectric projects in Arunachal Pradesh in October 2026, consider the following statements:

1. The committee recommended in-principle forest clearance for the Naying Hydroelectric Project on the Siyom river.

2. The committee recommended in-principle forest clearance for the Kamala Hydroelectric Project on the Kamla river.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a) 1 only
  2. (b) 2 only
  3. (c) Both 1 and 2
  4. (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show the answer

Answer: (a) 1 only

Answer: (a) 1 only. Naying was recommended; Kamala was sent for a closer look.

Statement 1: correct. The FAC recommended in-principle forest clearance for NEEPCO's 1,000-MW Naying project on the Siyom, a Siang tributary.

Statement 2: incorrect. The FAC formed a sub-committee for a comprehensive assessment of the 1,720-MW Kamala project, citing submergence and about 24 lakh trees.

Eliminate: Statement 2 is the surest, since Kamala was referred to a sub-committee, not recommended. Out: (b), (c).

Eliminate: Statement 1 is correct, as Naying was recommended. Out: (d).

Trap: Swapped attribution. Both projects came up at the same meeting in the same State, so the outcome for one is pinned on the other.

Remember: Naying recommended in principle; Kamala sent to a sub-committee.

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