KAZIRANGA, May 12 - Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today chaired a high-level meeting in Kohora here over the preparedness of the park authority of Kaziranga and adjoining districts to deal with the upcoming monsoon floods in the Kaziranga National Park.
Sonowal while addressing mediapersons at Kohora, said he had outlined the strategy and asked the Deputy Commissioners, Superintendent of Police and Divisional Forest officers of Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Sonitpur and Biswanath districts to remain on complete alert to check any illegal activities of anti-social elements during the flood time in Kaziranga.
Chief Minister Sonowal said, �Kaziranga is the pride of Assam because of the one-horned rhino and we all should all put a combined effort to ensure that our forest resources are protected and conserved properly.�
He said care must be taken for the safety of our wildlife species in forest areas. He said since the day the BJP government came to power, drastic measures have been adopted for the protection of wild animals of Assam including those of Kaziranga National Park like the rhino, besides other wildlife.
Sonowal said since flood season in Kaziranga will start soon, so deliberations over the issue of protection and safety of wild animals have been taking place. The DCs, SPs and DFOs of five adjoining districts have been asked to adopt combined efforts so that no further poaching takes place. State Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidhya, Agriculture and Veterinary Minister Atul Bora and Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta also attended the meet.
Sophisticated arms have been given to forest personnel to fight against poachers and 18 machanised boats were also given, added Sonowal. He said some appointments in veterinary sector would be made to ensure that wild animals of Kaziranga and other forests inthe State get due treatment during flood time.
He thanked the fringe villages and media for their active role in checking poaching activities to a great extent in the State.
He asked for cooperation from the people of the State, MLAs and MPs to play an active role while checking the activities of people who would be reaching the State coming from outside Assam by trains. He said quarantine facilities have been arranged at different places in association with the Health department and the district administration.
When this correspondent wanted to know about stranded Assamese people abroad who wanted to return home, Sonowal said that those people can contact the State government for any kind of assistance.
