GUWAHATI, Sept 23 � Hearing a PIL (No 54/2011) filed by Early Birds, an environmental NGO, against the State Government�s handing over of a ecologically sensitive zone including a wetland to Assam Rifles, the Gauhati High Court today issued notice to the State Government while fixing October 19 for the next hearing.
A division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Goyal and Justice Amitabh Roy heard the petition that sought a court order against the land acquisition.
Early Birds has been urging the administration and the Government to rescind its decision in handing over 465 bighas of land � including a wetland of critical importance for the local populace and the environment � to Assam Rifles.
The wetland known as Dabaka Beel is located near Azara in Kamrup district and supports a rich biodiversity including fish and avifauna besides being connected with the Kolomoni river. The nearby agricultural fields also receive much-needed replenishment from the wetland, while fishing has been a traditional occupation for many locals.
Terming as suicidal the decision on the part of the State Government to allot the land to Assam Rifles and exposing its utter lack of sensitivity to the environment and the well-being of the local populace, Moloy Baruah, president of Early Birds told The Assam Tribune that any undue interference with the wetland would trigger a series of calamitous impacts, including destruction of biodiversity, damage to agriculture, and loss of livelihood for thousands of people dependent on the wetland ecosystem.
Baruah said that the ill-conceived move to destroy the wetland at a time when the Government was talking a lot of protecting wetlands smacked of double standards.
