India, Feb. 7 -- While the Supreme Court continues to examine allegations of illegal stone quarrying in Assam, the Union government's Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has quietly cleared the expansion of a stone mine in Jagiroad, raising questions about regulatory accountability, procedural haste, and the credibility of environmental oversight mechanisms.

Official records seen by Northeast Now show that the FAC of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) granted "in-principle" approval on January 22, 2026, for the diversion of an additional 4 hectares of Reserved Forest, expanding Jagiroad Stone Mahal No. F1 from 1 hectare to 5 hectares.

The mine is operated by Hills Trade Agencies, owned by Ranbir Singh Gandhi (RS...