Welcome Raimona

The World Environment Day in Assam could not have been celebrated in a better way than announcing the creation of Raimona National Park, thus taking the total number of National Parks in the state to six. Raimona National Park covers 422 sq km, falls in Kokrajhar district, and is part of a contiguous forest covering the northern portion of the notified 508-sq-km Ripu Reserve Forest, the westernmost buffer to Manas Tiger Reserve. Lying in the southern foothills of the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot, it also shares an international border with Bhutan and an inter-state boundary with West Bengal. The newly-created National Park shares contiguous forest patches of the Phipsoo Wildlife Sanctuary and Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park in Bhutan. And together with them, Raimona will help create a transboundary conservation landscape of more than 2,400 sq km. Also westernmost buffer to the Manas Tiger Reserve, the newest National Park will contribute help ensure the long-term conservation of several endemic species like Golden Langur – the mascot of BTC – and the endangered species like Asian Elephant, Royal Bengal Tiger and several other species flora and fauna it supports. It is also home to clouded leopard, Indian gaur, wild buffalo, spotted deer, hornbill, more than 150 species of butterflies, 170 species of birds, 380 species of plants and many species of orchids. Said to be the richest biodiversity forest belt, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's decision of creating Raimona National Park has attracted widespread appreciation. It will on one hand contribute in a big way towards conservation, especially when Assam has been facing massive encroachment of forests; on the other hand, it will bring a lot of socio-economic benefits for Kokrajhar, Chirang and the entire western Assam region. Many leading environmentalists meanwhile have urged the Chief Minister to declare Dehing-Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary as a National Park at the earliest. More importantly, the government should also clear all the National Parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved forests of encroachers, most of whom are suspected, illegal migrants. Chief Minister Sarma should himself lead from the front and begin the eviction drive from Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary with a zero-tolerance attitude.