IT News
Guwahati, Dec 6:
As committed by the BJP led government in Dispur, the process of upgrading the Dehing Patkai wildlife Sanctuary to a national park has begun with an aim to protect a huge area of virgin rainforest in eastern Assam adjoining Arunachal Pradesh.
Assam Governor, in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 35(1& 2) of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 as amended up-to-date, has already issued a preliminary notification stating that Dispur intends to constitute Dehing Patkai National Park upgrading the Dehing Patkai
wildlife Sanctuary.
In order to inquire into and determine the existence, nature and extent of rights of any person in or over the land comprised within the determined limits for constituting the national park, the district magistrates of Tinsukia and Dibrugarh have been appointed to act as collectors under the wildlife protection laws for their respective districts.
Mentionable is that a recent public outcry against the ‘approval’ of open-cast coal mining inside Dehing Patkai sanctuary, engineered by a large number of environmental enthusiasts, celebrities, social activists, media personalities, conscious individuals, etc had compelled the government to look into the matter seriously. Members belonged to the All Assam Students’ Union, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity along with various political leaders also joined in the
movement.
Reacting to public outcries, State environment minister Parimal Suklabaidya, who promptly visited the sanctuary following the direction of CM Sarbananda Sonowal, clarified that the there was no mining inside the Dehing Patkai sanctuary. An active conservation group Nature’s Beckon also came out with official statements that the Saleki Proposed Reserve Forest, where conditional mining was approved by the Centre, is far away from the said rainforest.
Nature’s Beckon, which led the rainforest conservation movement since 1994 to protect 500 sqkm of contiguous forest cover comprising Joypur, upper Dehing and Dirak reserve forests. The forum proposed its name as Joydehing Wildlife Sanctuary, but the then Congress government declared a patch of rainforest with 111.19 sqkm area as Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary in 2004. Dutta pointed out that there is no place called Dehing Patkai and it was derived from Dehing/ Dihing river (that flows through it) and Patkai hills (which supports the forest).
Lately the forum director Soumyadeep Dutta took the initiative to declare the entire Dehing Patkai forest reserve as a protected area under the concerned laws as early as possible. Various other organizations like Patriotic People’s Front Assam, Indigenous Council Assam, Brihattar Asomiya Mohila Mancha, Sanmilita Sangbadik Mancha, etc also endorsed the demand following which CM Sonowal directed the concerned officials to prepare action plans for upgrading the sanctuary to a national park.
Meanwhile, the Patriotic People’s Front Assam (PPFA) applauds CM Sonowal for his relentless efforts to make it happen with an aim to protect large varieties of flora & fauna conserving the pristine rainforests in eastern Himalayan region, which is often termed as Amazon of the East. The forum of nationalists also expressed hope that the initiative would help to safeguard a huge stretch of contiguous virgin forestlands.
The PPFA also congratulated the members of Nature’s Beckon in particular and mass people in the environmentally sensitive State in general as they continued raising voices for protecting the contiguous forest covers comprising Joypur, upper Dehing and Dirak reserve forests giving shelter to a large number of Asiatic elephants with over 290 species of bird, 50 species of butterfly, 45 species of mammal, 25 species of reptile, thousands species of insects, etc.
