OUR CORRESPONDENT
TEZPUR: In a proactive outreach effort, District Commissioner Anand Kumar Das visited Rupajuli tea estate (Rubber Line) and Tarajuli tea estate community auditorium to engage directly with local residents on two crucial issues, the growing human-elephant conflict in the region and the rising concern of drug abuse among youth.
During his interaction at the tea estate areas, the Deputy Commissioner held an open discussion with villagers, tea garden workers, and management officials to understand the challenges arising from frequent elephant movement in the vicinity. He stressed the importance of collective vigilance, awareness, and coordination between local communities, the Forest Department, and the district administration to minimize such conflicts and ensure the safety of both people and wildlife.
“Human-elephant coexistence demands patience, preparedness, and strong communication between forest and village networks. Every life — human or animal — matters,” the DC remarked while addressing the gathering.
As part of the visit, the district administration also organized an awareness programme under the ‘Cultural Programme for Sensitization on Drug Abuse,’ a component of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan — an initiative of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. The event, featuring street plays, songs, and interactive sessions, aimed to sensitize the youth on the dangers of substance abuse and inspire them to act as agents of change within their communities.
Speaking on the occasion, the DC highlighted that drug prevention must begin with awareness and empowerment, and urged young people to ‘lead by example and build a society free from addiction.’
Later in the day, the DC and his team visited Sonajuli ME School, which had recently witnessed an unfortunate incident of human-elephant conflict. The visit served to assess ground realities and discuss precautionary measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
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