AZARA, Aug 26 - Ten social organisations took out a protest rally on Sunday against the government�s move of declaration of an eco-sensitive zone at Deepor Beel and its adjoining areas.
The workers of the social organisations said that the information about the beel submitted by the Forest Minister in the last Assembly session was totally baseless. They also said that though two rounds of public hearing were organised in this regard by the Forest Department, no unanimous decision was taken there. They alleged that the Government is violating the fundamental rights of around 20000 families residing in the adjacent areas of the historic Deepor Beel.
It may be noted here that the Government has declared the beel and its adjoining areas like Mikirpara-Chakardow, Pamohi, Deuchatal, Maghuapara, Garchuk, Boragaon, Tetelia, Sundarbari, Khanamukh, Dharapur, Azara and Matia as an eco-sensitive zone. If that happens, the residents of those areas would lose their rights of land, the social organisations alleged. They also said as per direction of the Ministry of Forest & Environment, an eco-sensitive zone can be declared within the area of ten km radius of a water body. But surprisingly, within the area of the ten km radius of the Beel, there are Gauhati University, Assam Engineering College, Assam Ayurvedic College, LGBI airport, bases of defense wings and several other Government and non-Government educational institutions, they said. They also said that the Beel has already lost the characteristic features as the water of the wetland is polluted and the Kamakhya-Jogighopa BG railway line is passing across the Beel. They also admitted that several thousand fishermen and farmers will have to face a great challenge if the eco-sensitive zone comes into force.
The social organisations which took part in the protest rally were Deepor Beel Pachpara Samabai Samity, Paribesh Sangbedansil Khetra Birodhi Mancha, Paschim Guwahati Karbi Nagarik Mancha, Arohan Adhyanam Chakra, Brihattar Boragaon Nagarik Mancha, Azara Unnayan Mancha and Sadou Asom Parbatya Janajati Parishad. The organisations demanded the Government to withdraw the declaration of eco-sensitive zone, otherwise they would start a massive democratic movement in the days to come.
