KAZIRANGA, Oct 12 - The Kaziranga National Park was declared opened today for the tourist season 2019-2019 by the State Environment and Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya in the presence of Agriculture Minister and local MLA Atul Bora, Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta, Dhemaji MLA Ranoj Pegu and ATDC Chairman Jayanta Malla Baruah.
Speaking on the occasion, Suklabaidya said that Kaziranga is now known worldwide as one of most beautiful and wildlife parks and it is the abode of the one -horned Indian rhino and other wild animals. He said that a special force set up recently is currently undergoing training to handle sophisticated weapons to check every attempt by poachers to enter the national park.
The minister also informed the gathering that the current State government was taking every possible step to stop antisocial activities inside the park and this had resulted in a drastic reduction in poaching in Kaziranga since the last many months. He said this had been possible due to constant coordinated efforts of the forest, police and civil administration who worked tirelessly to control poaching and other illegal activities in the Park. Suklabaidya also appreciated the local people of Kaziranga who had been providing necessary support to the Forest department from time to time in order to check poaching in Kaziranga and hoped that they would continue to play a vital role in the conservation and protection of the Park.
Agriculture Minister and local MLA Atul Bora said that sacrifices made by frontline forest staff in protecting Kaziranga National Park must be acknowledged by one and all. He also appreciated the constant consciousness of the local people for the conservation of Kaziranga�s forests and wild animals.
Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta said that the current State government is taking necessary steps to control the problem of erosion which had eroded a vast portion of land in Kaziranga and Bokakhat areas. Already the government had earmarked Rs 100 crore to control erosion in Kaziranga and the adjoining areas of Bokakhat. When this correspondent pointed out about the severe erosion problem in Arimora area since the last seven to eight years due to which one heritage Forest IB inside the Arimora forest area in the Central range of Kaziranga National Park was washed away due to severe erosion a couple of years back, Mahanta informed that at the initial phase the work on erosion control would start from Dhansirimukh at Bokakhat and erosion control work will continue towards the western side touching Kaziranga park. But for Arimora area under Central range of Kaziranga National Park, there is a technical issue which would be sorted out soon. Altogether, 24 different schemes would be implemented to control the massive erosion.
Both the Cabinet Ministers Atul Bora and Keshab Mahanta appreciated the role played by former Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma who took many steps to control poaching in Kaziranga. Both the ministers appreciated her efforts in the conservation and protection of wildlife and forests in Kaziranga as well as in different places of the State.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Atul Bora led the procession organised by the Kaziranga Jeep Safari Association. Bora inaugurated the well-decorated Jeep Safari Association�s office at Kohora. Later speaking to the gathering Bora acknowledged the role played by the Jeep Safari Association from time to time in the conservation of Kaziranga National Park. Today, the Jeep Safari arranged free jeep rides for local school children to have a glimpse of rhinos and other wild animals inside Kaziranga. The Forest Minister also opened Bagori range today for tourists.
The Chairman of the Assam Tourism Development Cooperation, Jayanta Malla Baruah, said that after the Modi Government declared Kaziranga as one of the top iconic destinations of India, the government had been initiating steps to improve the infrastructure here including the construction of a helipad to fly tourists to Kaziranga. Step have been taken for constructing a helipad after a plot was selected by the administration for the purpose.
Many speakers suggested fixing one date for opening and closing of Kaziranga National Park so that tourists could easily make plan for a trip to Kaziranga early enough.
