Assam Forest Department cuts 6,000 betel nut trees for gardening in Boko

 A CORRESPONDENT

BOKO: The Assam Forest Department started chopping off more than 6,000 betel nut trees in the Upper Bamunigaon village in Boko along the Assam-Meghalaya border under Bondapara Forest Office in West Kamrup Divisional Forest Office from Wednesday.

People of the area are annoyed over the forest department's action. Frylin R. Marak, Executive Member of Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council, visited the area and discussed the matter with the public on Thursday.

Frylin R. Marak expressed his resentment over the Forest Department's action because the village is inhabited by Garo tribal people and they have been living in the area over two decades and their main occupation is cultivation.

"This is a wrong decision taken by the forest department. They should serve notification for the eviction before chopping off the betel nut gardens," said Frylin R. Marak.

"These gardens are preserved by the villagers of the Upper Bamunigaon village for their own village development. They targeted the Garo tribal people only, not others. If they want to evict forest lands, then do it everywhere, not just the Garo tribal people in the area," he further said.

"I request the Prime Minister of India and the Chief Minister of Assam to look into this matter. The ethnic tribal people are harassed in the name of eviction, whereas the Garo people live in the hilly places. So, the government should find a solution for the people before eviction," added Marak.

The upper Bamunigaon village falls under the Gizang Reserve Forest area. Despite this, people of the village make strong rules that if anyone cuts the trees, they have to be fined. An annoyed villager said that last Tuesday, the forest department officials came and tried to chop off the betel nut gardens, but the villagers strongly opposed. "But suddenly on Wednesday, without any notice, the department staff came and chopped off around 6,000 mature betel nut trees. The DFO of the West Divisional Forest Office told us that the eviction was done for a nursery. There will be more eviction," he said.

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