Ouguri Forest Ranger accused of aiding illegal sand & stone extraction

A CORRESPONDENT

KHERONI: In a shocking revelation, locals in West Karbi Anglong district raised grave allegations against Harsing Kramsa, the Ranger of Ouguri Forest Range under Hamren Forest Division and brother of Sarthe Kramsa, Chairperson of the Forest Board, Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC). The public accused Ranger Kramsa of orchestrating rampant environmental destruction at Khursing Hill (Mandir) in the Ouguri Range, sparking widespread outrage.

According to the Tharakunchi Land Protection Committee and Tharakunchi Village Development Committee, Kramsa has been facilitating illegal stone extraction by colluding with stone mafias from Guwahati. Reports indicated that these mafias, under the Ranger’s alleged patronage, have been cutting into Khursing Hill to extract stones and sand gravel, even constructing roads to aid their operations. The local residents, upon visiting the site, witnessed the devastation firsthand, including the felling of large trees, and are now demanding immediate action.

This is not the first controversy surrounding Kramsa. Prior to his current posting at Ouguri Range, he was implicated in a similar scandal involving illegal sand extraction while serving as the In-Charge Ranger at the Southern Forest Range, Kheroni. Locals claimed that hundreds of trucks extracted sand daily from nearby rivers, further damaging the ecosystem, with Kramsa allegedly turning a blind eye or actively supporting these activities.

The Tharakunchi Land Protection Committee and Village Development Committee urgently appealed to Tuliram Ronghang, Chief Executive Member (CEM) of KAAC, who oversees the forest department, and Executive Member D Uphing Maslai, the local representative of the Amri MAC constituency, to intervene. They demanded an immediate halt to the hill-cutting and stone extraction activities and strict action against Ranger Harsing Kramsa for his alleged role in the environmental plunder.

In response to the public outcry, the KAAC chief, Tuliram Ronghang, took swift action, ordering an immediate stop to all such activities and halting the movement of vehicles and trucks involved in the illegal operations as of the latest reports.

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