Guwahati, July 30: 68.74 per cent of the forest land in Nameri National Park and Sonai Rupai Conservation Landscape in Assam is under encroachment.
This was submitted by the Assam forest department to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Eastern Zone in response to a petition filed by environmental activist Dilip Nath, who raised concerns about large-scale encroachment in Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Assam’s Sonitpur district.
In the submission, the forest department stated that 73,524.86 hectares of five wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests are under this landscape, and 50,241 hectares is under encroachment.
Of 22,00 hectares of Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary(WLS), 10,000 hectares under encroachment, of 24,072 hectares of Charduar Reserved Forest( RF) , 22,000 hectares, of 18,972 hectares of Balipara RF, 10,000 hectares, of 339.86 hectares of Senglimari RF, 200 hectares and of 8,141 hectares of Naduar RF, 8,041 hectares are under encroachment.
The department has cleared 10,000 hectares of forest land from the encroachers in its eviction drive against encroachers, the government told the Tribunal.
In the last two years, 24.4 hectares in Senglimari RF, 99.5 hectares in Naduar RF, 11 hectares in Balipara RF and 100 hectares in Sonai Rupai WLS have been cleared, it stated.
The government informed the Tribunal that once Satai Hills within Balipara RF covering 6,122 hectares was a highly degraded area but is a critical habitat for wildlife and key to restoring connectivity between Nameri National Park and Sonai Rupai WLS. Over the past two years, the landscape has been inhabited by 3 lakh people belonging to SC, ST and backward classes who encroached on these tracts in large numbers during the late 1990s. These settlers cleared lowland and semi-evergreen forest areas and cultivated commercial crops such as betel nuts, coconut, rubber, and tea alongside crops.
“These inhabitants who have settled for more than two decades after migrating from other areas, have filed a total of 23,028 claims under the Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 in Charduar RF, Balipara RF and Sonai Rupai WLS,” the forest department stated.
“The forest department has opposed the issuance of forest land titles to these settlers on the ground, saying that they encroached on forest land, destroying pristine wildlife habitats and further degrading the ecosystem by planning commercial crops,” the department stated.
The district land committee (DLC) rejected all 4,157 claims from Sonai Rupai WLS in the meeting held on February 9, this year.
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The forest department stated that a draft comprehensive plant for this landscape would aim to provide a permanent solution for restoring the forest cover to a considerable extent.
On May 2, the NGT sought clarification from the Assam government for inaction on largescale encroachment in the forest land of this landscape.
In his petition Dilip Nath alleged gross violations of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980; Assam Forest Protection Force Act, 1986; Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; Scheduled Tribe and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition) of Forest Rights Act, 2006 and Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
Located along the foothills of the Great Himalayan Range, Sonai Rupai was declared a wildlife sanctuary on October 12, 1998.
This sanctuary was once famous for the bonsun tree (Phoebe hainesiana), which is now rarely seen in the sanctuary.
“But old glory is no more. More than 40,000 people have been settled in the wildlife sanctuary. After the BJP-led government came to power, it created some forest villages for allotment of the land to the families, in which state minister Ashok Singhal and Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) chief Pramod Boro took the lead,” Nath said.
The encroachment has gone to such an extent that 68 SSA schools have been set up inside Sonai Rupai WLS and Charduar RF at the patronage of government officials. During elections, polling booths have been set up in these schemes where more than 40 thousand voters cast their votes.
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The forest department stated that more than 3,000 students have been studying in these schools, and immediately vacating the schools would seriously impact the educational growth of these young minds.
“Considering the young age of children, it was submitted that unless families are rehabilitated out of Sonai Rupai WLS and Charduar RF children’s education should not be disturbed,” it stated.
The department stated that it would submit a draft plan within three months by the last week of September.
Not only this, the authorities are also constructing a sluice gate at Siloni River without the permission of the forest department, 5 km long road within Sonai Rupai WLS, and the construction of a ring well by PHE department inside the wildlife Sanctuary without clearance from the forest department.
In an order, the judicial member, Justice B Amit Sthalekar and expert member Arun Kumar Verma have directed the Assam chief secretary to file an affidavit giving details of officers who permitted such extensive construction in gross violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
“The affidavit must also explain the inaction of the principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) under whose very nose such illegal activities were allowed to go on since 2017,” the NGT said in its order.
Read: Lakshman Prashad Acharya sworn as new Governor of Assam
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