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Bid to construct food park on elephant corridor in Sonitpur dist opposed

By Shambhu Boro

TEZPUR, Nov 2 - Outskirts of Tezpur town like Depota, Na Ali, Muamari, Bindukuri, Ghoramari, Misamari, Balipara etc. touching National Highway-15 and connecting the southern part of the district till Singri and Orang National Park on the bank of the Brahmaputra have been habitually used by migrating wild elephants as safe corridors for years without number.

Unfortunately, the owner of Nezone Foods here is planning to set up a Food Park in the Na-Ali area by blocking the aforementioned traditional elephant corridors. It permitted to go ahead, the project will invariably compound the already serious man-elephant conflict.

It may be worth mentioning that due to blocking of elephant corridors in the district in the name of industrialisation by entities like Patanjali, Dabar, Daehesan Co Ltd etc. at Balipara and other areas, the wild elephant herds have lost their grazing grounds following which it has created mayhem among the concerned villagers. Many lives too have been lost in this connection till date.

Trying to draw public attention towards this vital issue, besides Tezpur AASU, different organisations have submitted representations to the concerned agencies to thwart the proposed industrialisation move, including the district administration.

Meanwhile, the Tezpur unit of AASU has alleged that the above-cited industrialist in nexus with some local unscrupulous elements have been trying to encroach upon the elephant corridor in the Bihaguri-Na Ali area for their commercial benefit.

In a representation submitted a couple of days back to the DC of Sonitpur, the AASU unit alleged that classification of such land has been covertly changed and being purchased illegally by some dishonest people in nexus with officials of the circle offices in the district and started construction work leading to an even more chaotic situation than earlier.

It is also alleged that despite repeated pleas to the administration to keep the areas obstacle-free, however by violating all official norms, roadside agricultural land along National Highway-15 have been earth-filled within the night for construction work till Thelamara area in Sonitpur district.

Presently, such land is being purchased by some industrialists by changing its classification, all for commercial benefit. As a result of this unscrupulous activity, the wild elephant herds are compelled to use risk-zones like railway tracks in their search for fodder and shelter, following which a number of confused and panicky jumbos have already been killed in the district.

Opposing all these anti-wildlife measures, organisations like AASU along with Tezpur unit of other organisations have strongly urged the concerned agencies to intervene in the purchase and sale of land in the aforementioned elephant corridors, besides strictly stopping any type of construction work in the areas, thereby saving the wild elephants.

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