BOKAKHAT, Nov 11 - In protest against declaration of a 10-km radius around Kaziranga National Park as an eco-sensitive zone as per a recent order of the Supreme Court of India, more than 5,000 people led by Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) gheraoed the office of the Kaziranga National Park Director here today.
The Park authority, it may be mentioned, was due to conduct a public hearing at the Bokakhat Stadium today. The processionists in an effort to foil the proposed public hearing programme shouted slogans and created a chaotic situation for hours together.
Bedanta Lashkar, adviser of KMSS criticised the KNP authority as well as the Government for failing to protect the one-horned rhinoceros, the pride of Assam, in particular and KNP as a whole.
Talking to the media, Lashkar claimed that only the public of the fringe villages around KNP were instrumental in saving the precious denizens of the surrounding forests, and not the Government. So the KMSS will always raise its voice for the protection of the life and property of the poor villagers.
In a subsequent interaction with the KNP Director, the KMSS adviser placed a three-point charter of demands, i.e., to distribute sufficient printed leaflets in Assamese among the local people by highlighting the pros and cons of a eco-sensitive zone, to postpone public hearing for atleast three months so that the concerned public may get sufficient time to study the contents of the printed matter and act accordingly.
Later, talking to this correspondent, the Park Director said the Civil SDO of Bokakhat in consultation with the concerned higher authority had resolved to postpone the public hearing indefinitely in the interest of maintaining law and order.
