Guwahati, July 30 -- To address forest encroachments along their inter-state borders in Northeast, the Gauhati High Court has directed Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram to establish a high-level committee.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury issued the order on Tuesday while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL No. 77/2018) concerning forest encroachment.

A petition was filed in 2018 by Asom Basaok, a Guwahati-based NGO, and another petition in 2023 by two residents of Sreebhumi district, seeking removal encroachments from forest areas of Assam.

"Convene a high-level meeting of the chief secretaries and chiefs of forest departments of each of the states as well as o...