DIGBOI, Nov 5 � An outrageous bid to grab a portion of the Upper Dehing rain forest area near Ulup under Khamungpathar Forest Beat of Digboi Forest division on the night of October 30 last by around 150 persons coming from Talap area was foiled by the forest staff under the initiative of P Sivakumar, Divisional Forest Officer. The 24- hour long clearance exercise from the evening of October 30 was carried out jointly by the forest staff, Margherita subdivision civil administration, the local police personnel and the public of Ulup area. The manoeuvre of the grabbers appeared to be a planned one since the settling down of the first horde overnight was meant, it is learnt, to be supplemented by another 200 strong batch of grabbers on the morning of October 31. The clearance of the forest land from the illegal occupants without any major damage has been hailed by the local people as a great relief.
Meanwhile, the entire rain forests under Digboi division has over the last one and a half years been targeted by such illegal occupants continuously. The attempt began with the entry of a large horde of people claiming themselves to be flood affected in the Namphai rain forest area under Jagun Range on February 17, 2010. The divisional forest officer of Digboi together with his officers and staff including those of Jagun range had a tough time in clearing the area from the encroachers who had already damaged the existing forest resources to a considerable extent. This was followed by the attempt to grab part of Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary by the people of the neighbouring tea gardens on October 22 last and the attempt was repulsed successfully by the DFO and his officers and staff. Another attack was made by the earlier group of flood-affected people in the Tirap rain forest under Lekhapani range on October 24 last. This time also the timely intervention of the forest personnel supported by the local people could drive away the unlawful encroachers and save the encroached portion of the rain forest.
Upon enquiry it was found that the encroachers and the illegal land grabbers are motivated to make their attempts because of the scanty forest staff manning this huge division of forests covering the most prized rain forest in the world. It is learnt that the area of the Digboi forest division is 650 sq km and it is protected by a meagre 35 forest guards � one forest guard for every 18.5 sq km under his control! It is also learnt that out of the total sanctioned strength of 77 forest guards as provided in the year 1960 when this division was created, the present strength is only 35 with an emphatic shortage of around 55 per cent of the men on duty as per that base year.
The enlightened section of the public is of the opinion that the actual genesis of the encroachers be ascertained and relief be provided to them as per the lawful provision of public governance so that equitable and social justice is done to them.
