Aranya Suraksha Samiti Assam (ASSA) demands clearance of encroachments in Mahamaya forest

OUR CORRESPONDENT

DHUBRI: The Aranya Suraksha Samiti Assam (ASSA), and people of Bogribari area have raised demands of making Mahamaya Reserve Forest free from encroachments in order to save the forest. A meeting in this regard held at the premises of the 25 Hat Kali Mandir in Bogoribari was presided over by noted social worker Bharat Chandra Barman on Sunday.

Objectives of the meeting were explained by Dr Haricharan Das, Secretary General of the ASSA, who said that the Mahamaya forest area was a habitat of the rare white-backed vulture, found in very few places in the world. Dr Das added that the forest was also home to tigers, elephants, pythons, and other wildlife, apart from the Tipkai river flowing through the forest being known to host the endangered Gangetic dolphin (Shihu).

Highlighting that the Mahamaya forest, rich in sal trees, is a unique biodiversity hotspot, Dr Das demanded on behalf of the committee that the forest area be cleared of encroachments and declared a wildlife sanctuary.

He further pointed out that every winter, several species of migratory birds arrived at the Rajapara range of the Mahamaya forest. Vultures are known to nest in the sal forests of Rajapara. ASSA thus also demanded that the Rajapara range be declared a Jatayu Park.

Supporting the demands of the committee, Art of Living Guru Achyut Brahmachari of Bogoribari said that the Mahamaya forest had long enriched the spiritual environment of the region. Eminent personalities including social workers Ratanlal Saha, Dilip Kumar Pal, Partha Chakraborty, and others were present at the meeting.

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