Gaurav tables Bill in LS on rhino protection

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, March 11: Kaliabor MP Gaurav Gogoi introduced a Private Member Bill in the Lok Sabha yesterday to further amend the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Through this amendment, the MP is trying to insert a new chapter, Chapter 1V D into the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and move to provide a tiol Rhino Conservation Authority to look into protection, conservation and magement of rhino or rhino reserves in the country. It is to safeguard the boundaries of tiol parks and sanctuaries in regard to the poaching of rhinos and for all matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.

Assam is home to more than 90 per cent of the country’s rhino population and 70 per cent of them reside only in the Kaziranga tiol Park which is under Kaliabor constituency. Poaching is considered one of the major reasons for the decreasing rhino population in the world. With the highest population of rhinos residing in Kaziranga, there is an increasing pressure on the park for rhino horns. In 2016, 19 rhinos were poached at Kaziranga tiol Park alone, as of December 27, 2016. Without proper protection and conservation, greater one-horned rhinos will soon face extinction.

Through the Bill Gogoi urged the government to constitute a tiol Rhino Conservation Authority consisting of members from the ministries concerned, expert bodies and states of rhino reserves (Assam, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh). He proposed that this authority should have exclusive powers for the protection, conservation and magement of rhinos in the country. It will also have the power to issue guidelines regarding magement of reserves by establishing a Rhino Conservation Foundation in the State.