Assam University’s Prof. Parthankar Choudhury Takes Seat on Assam’s New Environment Expert Panel

Professor Parthankar Choudhury of Assam University, Silchar, has been appointed as a member of the newly constituted State Level Expert Appraisal Committee, Assam (SEAC), according to a notification issued by the Assam Government’s Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department.

The committee has been constituted in pursuance of a notification issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on 6 October 2026. It will assist the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority, Assam (SEIAA) in matters related to environmental impact assessment.

Professor Choudhury is from the Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, School of Environmental Science, Assam University, Silchar. His inclusion gives the university a direct representation in the state-level expert committee dealing with environmental appraisal matters.

The SEAC will have Jatindra Sarma, IFS (Retd), former Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, as its Chairman. Professor Choudhury is among seven members listed alongside the Member Secretary of the Assam Pollution Control Board.

Other members include Dr Rahul Mahanta of Cotton University, environmentalist Dr Arup Barpujary, Professor Arup Kumar Sarma of IIT Guwahati, Dr Bhagwat Pran Duwarah of Gauhati University and Dr Narayan Sharma of Cotton University.

The committee will function on the principle of collective responsibility. Its Chairman will seek consensus in each case, while the majority view will prevail if consensus cannot be reached.

The SEIAA, Assam has been constituted with retired PWD Secretary Shyamanta Bezbarua as Chairman, retired Gauhati University Botany Professor Dr Socindra Kumar Borthakur as Member and the Secretary of the Environment, Forests and Climate Change Department as Member Secretary.

According to the notification, the Chairman and members of both SEIAA and SEAC will hold office for four years from the date of publication of the notification in the Official Gazette. The Assam Pollution Control Board will function as the secretariat for both bodies and provide the required administrative and logistical support.