A CORRESPONDENT
BOKAKHAT: Following Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma's announcement to set the width of the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve at one kilometre, support has emerged in Bokakhat and Kaziranga.
In this connection, a press conference was held on Tuesday at the office of the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) in Bokakhat, attended by representatives of AJYCP, All Assam Students' Union, Gorkha Students' Union, Assam Tea Tribe Students' Association, Bokakhat, Adivasi Students' Association, Mising Students' Union, and the Greater Kaziranga Human Resources and Environment Protection Committee.
At the press conference, the organisations demanded that the eco-sensitive zone around Kaziranga National Park be limited to one kilometre and, in certain areas, reduced to zero.
Senior journalist Jitu Sarma Rajkhowa, along with AJYCP leaders Bipul Bora, Nilutpal Mahanta and Hemanta Bora, and Rudra Chhetry representing the Gorkha Students' Union, addressed the press conference.
The representatives said that Kaziranga, which has successfully crossed a century in the history of wildlife conservation, has set a remarkable example for the world of how forests and wildlife can be protected while human settlements exist right next to a protected forest.
They said that they have been protesting against the declaration of an eco-sensitive zone in Kaziranga since 2015. Several of their leaders were arrested during the movement and had to fight legal battles for five years. Against this backdrop, they said they remain firm in their demand for the eco-sensitive zone in Kaziranga to be reduced to zero.
The representatives also said they would not accept demands by some people unfamiliar with Kaziranga or outsiders that the eco-sensitive zone should extend up to 10 kilometres. They warned that no such programme or agitation would be allowed in Kaziranga on this issue.
They further stated that any decision regarding the boundary of the eco-sensitive zone in Kaziranga should be taken only after consulting the local people living around Kaziranga and the various nationalist organisations. They also appealed to political parties and organisations not to politicise the issue.
Meanwhile, after the Indian National Congress staged a protest at Kohora on Monday against the decision to limit Kaziranga's eco-sensitive zone to one kilometre, the Mising students' organisation TMPK convened a press conference at the Mising Rest House in Bokakhat on Monday night to clarify its position.
At the press conference, TMPK Golaghat District President Biman Jyoti Loing, Central Organising Secretary Jitu Bori, and MMK adviser Maneshwar Kutum welcomed the chief minister's decision to limit the eco-sensitive zone around Kaziranga to one kilometre.
Against this backdrop, various organisations in Bokakhat have demanded protection not only of the eco-sensitive zone and the environment but also of the safety and interests of locals.
Also Read: Assam: CPI demands withdrawal of proposal to shrink Kaziranga eco-sensitive zone