Step taken to monitor movement and activities of encroachers
A CORRESPONDENT
NAGAON: Around 25-km forest road was made throughout the evicted area in Lumding Reserve Forest (RF) by the forest officials of Nagaon South Forest Division, Hojai to monitor the movement as well as other activities of encroachers and others. Besides, a forest entry gate into the RF was also installed at the entry point of the reserve forest, sources added.
Sources said that the forest road as well as the entry gate was being constructed in the RF by dedicated forest man and official Mahesh Nath, in-charge range officer of Hojai protection range, under special supervision of Divisional Forest Officer Ganadeep Das, only to monitor the movement of encroachers and other activities of outsiders in the RF.
Besides, two watch camps of Assam Forest Protection Force personnel and other forest staff were also set up in RF to keep watch and also to conduct regular patrolling inside Lumding RF, sources added further.
Following the directives of Gauhati High Court, Nagaon South Forest Division, Hojai, in association with district administration of Hojai district, cleared around 1,410 hectares of encroachment of forest land in Lumding RF through an eviction drive from November 8 to November 12 last year in which the forest as well as other security forces dismantled over 736 permanent, semi and temporary structures erected at Vetnola, Komorpani, Thedongnola, Langsipara, Hazibasti areas in the RF by some encroachers.
Significantly, after completion of the eviction drive, the entire evicted area of the RF was left barren and hence the authority concerned of the division took the initiative to protect the RF without any sanctioned fund from the department concerned.
Speaking to this correspondent, Mahesh Nath, in-charge range officer of Hojai protection range, said they were determined to protect the RF. "We are just in the battle with no arms and ammunition as we have not received any funds from the government as well as the department concerned for the works being initiated by us," Nath said further.
While speaking to this correspondent DFO, Nagaon South Forest Division, Hojai, Gunadeep Das said "Whatever we are doing is being accomplished with the goodwill of some people. We need at least two vehicles for the staff and the AFPF personnel in those two forest camps in the RF to conduct regular patrolling as well as to monitor the movement of encroachers and other activities of various forest mafias inside the RF. We have written to the supreme authority of the department to provide those vehicles as early as possible so that the staff as well as other personnel of AFPF of the camps can carry out their respective duties in the RF."
He said the department concerned was yet to ascertain the boundary of the RF as there were still several hundred hectares of land in the boundary line of the RF which were being encroached by a section of people, for which the division had sought a special survey in this regard. He urged the department concerned to ascertain the boundaries of the RF as soon as possible.
He laid stress on massive tree plantation in the evicted area of the RF and said that the division would conduct a massive plantation drive in around 500 bighas of land in the RF this year to preserve the greenery of the RF.
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