Massive eviction drive in Orang National Park and Tiger Reserve ends peacefully

MANGALDAI: On the second day of the massive eviction drive ever conducted by the Orang National Park and Tiger Reserve (ONPTR) authority, a total area of 200.32 sq km already included in the second addition of ONPTR was cleared from the encroachers in a peaceful atmosphere on Wednesday.

All the crops cultivated by the encroachers were damaged using a good number of tractors and the eviction drive was stopped in the afternoon. For the smooth operation of the eviction drive, the Park authority, with the active support and cooperation of the district administration and Police of Sonitpur and Darrang districts, had arranged a five-day continuous programme with the deployment of heavy security.

In the areas under the Sonitpur district, the eviction drive was conducted on May 28 and May 29, which however, was extended to May 30 to evict a total of 5,000 encroachers from an encroached area of land measuring 1,1827.5 bighas. Similarly, the Park authority has fixed a three-day eviction drive in the areas under the Darrang district on May 30, May 31 and June 1 to clear an encroached area of land measuring 9915 bighas from the encroachment of about 15,000 encroachers in 11 riverine sars in the southern part of the Park.

On the first day’s eviction drive on May 30, the majority of the encroachers dismantled their dwelling houses and left the areas with their belongings on their own. Significantly, the Park authority earlier had served notices to the encroachers to make the notified areas free from encroachment. On the first day’s eviction drive conducted on Tuesday, Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) PK Bhuyan, Deputy Inspector General of Police of Central Western Range Brajenjit Singha and Superintendent of Police Prakash Sonowal supervised the eviction drive to make it a smooth and peaceful operation with the involvement of 1,000 armed police personnel. Divisional Forest Officer of Mangaldai Wildlife Division Pradipta Barua accompanied by 150 forest personnel on Wednesday led the eviction drive. Circle Officer of Dalgaon Revenue Circle Sameer Choudhury also supervised the eviction drive in some remote sar areas.

The existing area of ONPTR has been expanded to a total area of 279.14 sq km in the second addition as per the official declaration made by the Governor of Assam and published by the Environment and Forest department of the Assam Government vide notification number FRW.14/2004/Pt/64 dated August 25, 2022. In the notification, a total area of 200.32 sq km under Dhekiajuli and Ghelamara Revenue Circle in Sonitpur district and under Dalgaon Revenue Circle in the Darrang district has been declared as the second addition of ONPTR.

As per the declaration of the second addition of ONPTR, the eastern boundary has been extended up to the historic Gupteswar Temple at Singori in Sonitpur district, southern boundary will touch the part of Marigaon and Nagaon district and the western boundary up to Shyampur area under Dalgaon Revenue Circle in Darrang while the northern boundary will remain same.

It is significant to note here that immediately after the eviction drive at Bishkhuti Sar in Sonitpur district on May 29 and May 30, a herd of nine wild pachyderms were seen roaming in the evicted area, perhaps making their return to their original habitat.

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