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Kapala to be included in West Assam tourist zone

By Correspondent - 15 Sep 2010 12:00 AM GMT

BARPETA, April 21 � Giving a ray of hope to the people living around the historic Kapala beel, the Barpeta district administration is soon going to propose a birds� sanctuary in the vast beel. This was informed by the deputy commissioner of Barpeta Phanidhar Kalita recently. To the utter surprise of the local people Kalita visited the beel along with Suvasish Das, divisional forest officer (DFO).

Talking to this correspondent, the DC informed that they had visited the site known for its aquatic flora and fauna and its reputation as one of the famous destinations of migratory birds to study the potential of an ornithological park here. He informed that as part of the tourist zone covering some important destinations of western Assam including Barpeta, the district administration considers it viable to establish such a park here which will definitely attract a large number of tourists to this otherwise neglected part of the State. He also suggested that employment generation schemes like vermi-compose projects may be undertaken based upon the raw materials found in this wetland. He also assured of full help from the district administration to the unemployed youths coming forward for such projects.

The DFO said that this beel has a huge potential for a birds sanctuary and he with the cooperation of the district administration will propose to the government to establish an ornithilogical park here very soon. He further said that his department is very much interested in establishing such projects in such potent areas.

Kapala beel with its 854 bighas of land is one of the biggest notified fisheries not only in Barpeta district but also in Assam. Besides Chilla, Habalakhoa and Salmara are adjascent to this big fishery. All the fisheries are very rich in indigenous species of fishes and work as the source population of several delicate fishes. Apart from these fisheries owned by the Assam Fisheries Development Corporation (AFDC), there are vast areas of grazing reserve making the total area sorrounding Kapala several hundred hectares. But due to the negligence of the AFDC and the government these fisheries are getting silted day by day. Tonnes of water hyacinth and other aquatic mucks grow and rot on the water bodies which has caused gradual siltation.

But it is a matter regret that nothing tangible has been done to utilise the vast resource of this area. Rather the government lands have been allowed to be occupied by illegal encroachers. The sporadic works done now and then have been done aiming at the coffer of the government officials and the politicians only. Even in spite of earning several lakhs of ruppes from the fisheries, the AFDC has not thought of any development of them.The worst sufferers of the negligence of the concerned aouthorities are the Scheduled Caste fishermen community living at Baniyakuchi and other surrounding areas who live by fishing on the beel. Their economic condition has turned from bad to worse day by day due to the decrease in fishing area as well as the number of fishes in the water bodies.

Hence they have been demanding digging and development as well as banning the illegal fishing during the breeding season for a long time.