JORABAT, March 28 - Following a wide media coverage on the rampant hill cutting at Sonapur along the Amchang reserved forest, Dulal Bora, an RTI activist, today filed an FIR at the Sonapur PS demanding necessary action against the people involved in these activities.
The FIR was filed against land owner Sikha Dey, her husband and former Sonapur Circle Officer Dinesh Ranjan Dey, and Manoj Boruah, who is stated to be a youth BJP leader, for violating Gauhati High Court guidelines.
Sikha Dey had obtained permission from the district administration and the Kamrup East DFO to flatten her plot of 12 bighas of hilly land (dag no. 83, 85, 86, 87 and patta no. 7, 23, 24).
Dulal Bora questioned the administrative decision to grant permission to flatten such a massive green hill along a forest reserve, as it would have a devastating impact on the biodiversity.
It may be mentioned that although the 12-bigha plot in which the hill cutting is going on is under the tribal belt, yet it was suspiciously transferred in the name of Sikha Dey, a non-tribal, in 2003, during her husband�s tenure as the Sonapur Circle Officer.
Alleging that large tracts of agricultural land are being filled with earth cut off from the hilly plot, Das also questioned the role of the current Sonapur Circle Officer Jenifer Yasmin Choudhury for being a silent spectator to the rampant hill cutting and earth filling being carried out in blatant violation of norms.
Das, along with various local organisations of Dimoria, demanded immediate halt to all these illegal activities.
