Amidst climate crisis, CEM of BTC Pramod Boro rallies Kokrajhar residents against encroachment of Ultapani and Saralpara forests, urging them to vacate the land

KOKRAJHAR: Responding to the increasing global warming and climate change, the CEM of BTC Pramod Boro has asked affluent people of Kokrajhar town who are grabbing forest lands in Ultapani and Saralpara forests under Haltugaon Forest division of Chirang Reserve forest in Kokrajhar district to leave from illegally occupied forest land before a massive eviction drive by the department. “There cannot be any excuse to encroachers of forest land who have lands of their own. Boro on Sunday visited the forest area along with the EM of Forest and Environment of BTC Ranjit Basumatary to assess the current status of forest in Ultapani. They also visited the nursery sites created under Bodoland Green Mission in Ultapani.

Visiting the Ultapani under Chirang reserve forest, Boro while talking to a section of media persons said people of the area have been facing acute water shortage due to climate change and global warming because the groundwater layer has gone down due to massive destruction of forests. He said the government of BTC has taken prompt initiative to recover the forest coverage by adopting Bodoland Green Mission since last year and creating eight nurseries in Ultapani with around 9 lakh saplings of various species as part of the Bodoland Green Mission. He said the government of BTC will give alternative land and livelihood for the real landless people through consultation with the village headmen but individuals having lands of their own who have illegally occupied forest lands would not be spared.

 He also said according to reports, many politicians, contractors, government officials and individuals having money might have occupied vast plot of forest lands in Ultapani and Saralpara area for plantation of betelnut, tea garden, rubber etc. and these people always try to politicize by instigating local people when the department carries out eviction drive. He cautioned that they have data of every forest land occupier in Ultapani and they know who are the real landless people and thus the illegal land grabbers should come out of the forest land before the actions of the department.

“Just politicizing the eviction drive will only worsen things. Everyone must come forward with clear stand on the issue of global warming that causes increase of water crisis, drought, flood, erosion, landslide and impacting on ecology,” Boro said adding that the council government had been in consultation with the experts and researchers on the impact of global warming, climate change and acute water crisis. He said for a solution, the BTC had undertaken the Bodoland Green Mission for revival of green cover and was looking forward to using overground water instead of underground water. He also said massive plantations will continue to take place in the BTC region as that of the state’s ‘Briko Ropon’ initiative and saplings would be distributed on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5. He further assured that the council government will extend support to the individuals who want to create nurseries of plants and vegetation.

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