GUWAHATI, Aug 24 � The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Kishan Morcha, Assam Pradesh on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain for his failure to stop encroachment of forest land by Bangladeshis which has resulted in alarming depletion of the State�s forest cover.
It needs to be mentioned here that in the last two years the forest cover in the State has been depleting with thousands of hectares of forest area being encroached by dubious citizens. Around 2100 hectare of Nameri National Park, 830 hectare of Orang National Park, 1700 hectare of Manash National Park, 300 hectare of Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and 7790 hectare of Kaziranga National Park has been encroached so far.
Ranjit Thakuria, president of the Kishan Morcha while slamming the ruling Congress for the rampant encroachment of forest areas, said that Rockybul Hussain has been patronizing the illegal migrants and allowing them to settle in forest areas.
�The Congress government is playing the role of Dhritarashtra and turning a blind eye towards the problem of encroachment,� said Thakuria pointing out that while the Congress government was promoting the interests of the Bangladeshis by giving them pattas in the Char areas, it has never felt the need to give patta to the indigenous people living in the Char areas in upper Assam.
The State government recently handed out pattas to 13,047 families living in Char areas spreading out to 39,035 bighas. �Most of the families that got patta are suspected Bangladeshis and we demand an explanation from the government why these families were given pattas without NRC update,� insisted Thakuria adding that the Congress government has been betraying the State by following a vote bank policy.
Demanding of the government that the citizenship of these families that got patta must be proved, the Morcha further pressed for patta for the indigenous people living in the Char areas since ages.
On the other hand, the Morcha alleged that the Congress government has misused the funds meant for the farmers and has demanded inquiry into the corruption and misappropriation of funds.
The Morcha further said that increase of land revenue at a time when the country was going through its worst inflation period will badly hit the farmers. Asserting that the government which has ignored the welfare of the farmers had no moral right to increase revenue, the Morcha said that as per the new revenue rates, citizens in some areas in the capital city will have to annually pay Rs 10,000 for a one-and-half kotha plot of land.
