Guwahati, Aug. 11 -- The Gauhati High Court has ordered the Assam Forest Department to submit an affidavit containing the latest updates on the formulation and implementation of working plans for all forests in the state, including those under various autonomous councils.

During a hearing of the suo motu public interest litigation [PIL (Suo Moto)/3/2023], initiated following a media report on April 18, 2023, a bench comprising Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury reviewed the progress of working plans across forest divisions.

The court observed that most forest divisions in Assam still lack working plans, a situation that violates Supreme Court directives.

The judges raised concerns about systemic dysfunction, no...