KOKRAJHAR: The Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Mancha (BJSM) on Saturday demanded that the Bodoland reserve forests immediately be cleared of the non-governmental organisation, Service Provider, under the department of Forest, BTC. They are now turning into destructors rather than protectors of the forest.
In a statement, the working president of the BJSM Daorao Dekhreb Narzary said the NGO being engaged by the department of forest, BTC for protection of forest resources have miserably failed to protect forests and its resources as most of the NGO members are involving in smuggling of forest resources. He said on November 1, the villagers in Gwbwrkhi and Daojeng Gonthong under Runikhata Range in Chirang district caught 8 tractors loaded with timber logs being brought from reserve forest by Service Provider NGO illegally. This is a glaring example of their involvement in destruction activities. He also said the NGO activists on September 17 shot dead one Hemanta Narzary, a villager of Mahendrapur in Jharbari who were carrying timber in bicycle and Nabeswar Basumatary at Malivita in Chiurang district but the EM of concerned department Ranjit Basumatary has been maintaining silence on the illegal activities.
Narzary said the concerned department had been maintaining a partial attitude in taking action against timber smugglers and illegal encroachers. The supporters of opposition parties are the only target of the department while pro-ruling is making excuses, he said adding that the EM of the concerned department recently blamed former Chief of BTC and his Deputy Chief for destruction of forests but failed to take action against the activists of Service Providers. He added that unless the Service Provider NGO is eliminated, innocent villagers will continue to be killed under the guise of timber smugglers and encroachers.
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