Dissolve rhino horns committee, demand citizens
A citizens’ meet on Thursday unanimously demanded disbanding of the Rhino Horns Verification Committee, recently formed by the Government of Assam, as in its opinion, the committee is out to legalize all irregularities by those involved in killing and poaching of rhinos and selling their horns.Held at Guwahati Press Club and jointly organized by Nature’s Beckon and the Journalists’ Forum, Assam (JFA), the meeting also demanded of the authorities to make public the total number of horns from the rhinos naturally dead and those recovered after being killed by the poachers. But this number too must be arrived at after putting each and every horn to forensic tests. Presided over by JFA chief Rupam Baruah, and attended by leading intellectuals, journalists and nature-lovers, the meeting strongly advocated a CBI inquiry into all the murky incidents of killing and poaching of the animal and trading of its horns. The CBI probe should also include the dubious role being played by the Rhino Horns Verification Committee, the citizens said.Voicing his concern, renowned litterateur and journalist, Homen Borgohain said the Rhino Horns Verification Committee appears to be in a mission to bestow legal sanction on the irregularities so far indulged in by the captains of illegal rhino trade. This committee has no moral right to exist, he added.Mrinal Saikia, the ruling party MLA from Khumtai, said numerous incidents of killing and poaching of rhinos had taken place during Mohan Chandra Malakar’s tenure as the principal chief conservator of forests, wildlife. This clearly creates a conflict of interests when he took over as chairman of the verification committee, he said and added that neither he should have been made its chairman nor should he have accepted the post.Soumyadeep Dutta, director, Nature’s Beckon, in his speech, asked how come the Department of Forest, Assam boasted of selling rhino horns till 1979 as the Indian Wildlife Protection Act had already been enacted in 1972, which banned sale and purchase of animals and their meat. It means, Dutta pointed out, the department openly declared its complicity in an illegal act.Anuradha Sharma Pujari, Editor, Sadin, said the verification committee has lost all its credibility in its short span of existence. Asom Bani Editor, Dilip Chandan sought the immediate intervention of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in the issue.Ranen Kumar Goswami, senior journalist, also a JFA member, criticized a section of journalists for their audacity in behaving as self-styled spokespersons of the media. These journalists, involved neck-deep in the committee, have done all they could to suppress transparency instead of promoting it, he said. By killing transparency and preventing what happened behind the iron curtain from being disseminated, these journalists appear to have surrendered their professional ethics to the willful wrong-doers in illegal forest trade, he further said.Earlier, JFA secretary Nava Thakuria in his welcome speech, said the recent recovery of five fake rhino horns has proved beyond doubt the unholy alliance between corrupt officials and perpetrators of criminal acts. Others, who spoke on the occasion, included senior journalists Apurba Ballabh Goswami, Pulin Kalita and Chandan Duara, wildlife activists Mubina Akhtar, Jainal Abedin, Indrajit Dutta, Nitul Nath and Padum Barthakur, science writer Jagadindra Raichoudhury and rhino researcher Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya.
Random Stories
9 May 2012 - 2:17pm |
editor
Three miscreants were killed and another was arrested at the end of a fierce encounter with security forces atop Umrangsu in Jayantia Hills district of Meghalaya on Tuesday. The encounter took place...
24 Nov 2014 - 5:26pm |
AT News
The All Assam Minority Student Union in burnt the effigy of Dr.Subramoniam Swami in Nazira on Monday in pritest against his vote polarization politics. Apart from burning the BJP leader’s effigy, the...
18 Feb 2014 - 10:56pm |
AT News
Despite round the clock vigil, Guwahati city is still a den of thieves and robbers.Two motorcycle born youths looted Rs 6 lakh from a businessmen on Tuesday forcing police operation in search of the...
17 May 2016 - 8:32am |
AT News
The city based scribes on 16 May assembled in a protest demonstration at the front of Guwahati Press Club to condemn the brutal killing of two scribes in Bihar and Jharkhand last week. Covering their...
Other Contents by Author
A group of one hundred students from twelve high schools of Udalguri district recently took a vow to protect nature and wildlife along with plantation of more trees in their respective villages within the district of Udalguri. The event took place at Kalaigaon Revenue Circle premises on November 12 at 1 pm on the occasion of the concluding ceremony of ‘Gnyan Jyoti Yatra’ sponsored by Assam government and supervised by Udalguri district administration.53 boys and 47 girls fron various high schools of the district assembled at Kalaigaon after a three days educational tour to Guwahati.During the period the students were given the opportunity to visit -IIT Guwahati,Srimanta Sankardeb...
A life size statue of Dr Bhupen Hazarika was ceremoniously unveiled at Kalaigaon on November 5 on the occasion of his fifth death anniversary.Noted musician and colleague of Dr. Hazarika Kamal Kataki formally unveiled the statue of ‘Xudhakantha’ at the office of Kalaigaon Revenue Circle premises at 10 am. The inaugural ceremony was presided over by Dithaka Nanda Hazarika, ADC, Udalguri. Sadhana Hojai Deputy Commissioner, Udalguri ceremoniously released the souvenir ‘Maha Jivan’ edited by the organizing committee at 11 am.Jagadish Sarkar, EM, BTC and Maheswar Boro, MLA, Kalaigaon attended as the distinguished guests while noted Assamese singer Kanika Bhattachary, Raju Das, Director in-charge...
Aryabhatta Science Centre Udalguri district committee under Assam Science Technology & Environment Council,Guwahati organised a daylong interactive session with students of Rajib Gandhi HS and Rajib Gandhi ME Schoolat Sapangaon village,Bhairabkunda near Assam-Arunachal-Bhutan border on October 27.Students and teachers were told about the need for conservation of local biodiversity with special reference to conserve habitats smaller animals,birds,insects and reptiles like mongoose,snake,monitor lizard,owl,patrige, butterfly,bee and other locally available birds.Nature lover and nature photographer Ruprekha Goswami (Guwahati)bird expert Debanga Mahaliya,wildlife activist Jayanta Kumar Das...
More than 30 students of Tangla College with botany as major subject visited Kanaklata Das Bio-diversity Park at Kalaigaon on October 28.The members of the team studied various locally available species of plants,creepers, grasses including a few rare species namely -white sandal wood,red sandal wood, Ashoka,Arjunas,Bhairas etc.The members of the team also studied a few species of local plants with medicinal values.Students were delighted to watch thousands of water birds ,birds and species of fauna.It was known that the bio-diversity park was established in 2009 at a plot of land measuring 10 acres,which was donated by Freedom Fighter Late Pani Ram Das for the establishment of the...
A total of eight students among many participants from six blocks of Aryabhatta Science centre of Udalguri district have been selected today for the state level science based competitions to be held at the Regional Science Centre, Khanapara to be organised by ASTEC (Assam Science Technology & Environment Council,Guwahati) In a district level science based competitions organized by the Udalguri Aryabhatta Science Centre under the Assam Science and Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC) held at Udalguri Girls’ HS schoolon October 25 which was organized by the Udalguri district administration.The district level science based competitions were inaugurated by NC Boro, inspector of...
The eleven member child scientists team of Udalguri district on their way to Dibrugarh University campus was given warm felicitation at Kalaigaon on October 12 today.The programme was organised by SDO(Civil)Bhergaon sub-division in association with ASC Udalguri. A meeting was held at the office of the Circle Officer, Kalaigaon Revenue Circle at 11 am where various organisations and individuals felicitated the child scientists and the officials accompanying them on their way to attend state level session of 24thNCSC to be held at Dibrugarh university campus from October 13 to 16.DN Hazarika,ADC,Udalguri while welcoming the children said that they must learn more as would be seeing more in...
Assam Environmental NGO Forum welcomes government eviction drive in and around Kaziranga National Park. In a press release,Nitul Sivam Nath,state convener of the Forum said that present eviction drive has been a legal matter following courts order and all nature loving people must cooperate with the government to make Kaziranga NP encroachment free. Kaziranga NP along with all the additions would enjoy a new lease of life if encroachments are cleared.Its the primary duty of a democratic government to take steps for conservation of flora and fauna and people must support good works of the government.The Forum requests all people not to create political turmoil on the issue. Further it also...
An awareness campaign was organized by the Directorate of Field Publicity under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of Government of India in association with the Live Green,a nature based NGO of Udalguri district at Bongaligaon near Kopati in Udalguri district on September 18. The awareness meeting drew attention of more than four hundred villagers of Kopati area,teachers and students which got underway from September 16 last and concluded with an awareness meet on September 18. The organizers on the occasion held various competitions among the students on the various themes like‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao (BBBP),Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan, Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana, Pradhan...
River Noa has been furious during flood this year in and around Kalaigaon town.The very recent wave of floods has been posing threat to Kalaigaon-Adarshagaon road at No.2 Kalaigaon.The road could be washed away any time if more flood occurs and the erosion if not checked Noa is likely to change its course damaging Kanaklata Das Bio-diversity Park.Several lakhs of rupees had been spent last year in the name of protection of the road, but unplanned and substandard works did not serve any purpose.Flood affected people of Kalaigaon also demanded immediate repair of damaged embankment of Noa river where the it had changed its course during flood last year damaging houses and crops...
A minor girl dead and dozen others fell ill after they consumed prasad served at a religious function in Udalguri district on Friday. The tragic incident took place in Kalaigaon area where a ten year old girl died early in the morning. At least 71 others have complained of stomach ace and vomitting hours after they consumed prasad. The deceased was identified as Dipsikha Nath who died at the Mangaldai Civil Hospital. Talking to media, ADC DN Hazariaka said that the incident took place hours after they consumed prasad at the house of Harakanta Nath on Wednesday.
Add new comment