Thousands joined hands to protect flora faunas near Indo-Bhutan border

More than thousand people, mostly students and woman attended a huge rally at Nonaikhat village near Indo –Bhutan international border on November 26 to create awareness among people for the conservation of nature and wildlife. A one km long procession from Garuajhar High School to Nonaikhat chouk had been a spectacular one. Participants holding play cards with slogans like- “Wild animals are friends not enemy” ;”No tree no life”;”Control global warming”;”Save wild animals” etc rocked the wayside border villages. According to the villagers the programme had been a never before event in the areas which would help to check forest destruction.

The day long programme was organized by Green Valley forest and Wildlife protection Society of Nonaipara in personal association with a few nature loving government officers like Dr. SS Meenakshisundaram,DC Udalguri; DN Hazarika,Circle Officer, Harisinga Revenue Circle, assisted by forest officers Bharat Deka, Kushal Deka; SPO Chandra Deka; Shahiruddin Ahmed ,Headmaster of Balipara KM High School etc.

The rally originated at Balipara near Kalaigaon at 5 am on November 26. 51 boys and girls with play cards and banners moved in several vehicles to Hatigarh ( 30 km away) where a rally was arranged attended by several hundred villagers. A procession was organized from Ghagra to Beltola Chariali ,where the rally was presided over by D.N. Hazarika, Circle Officer,Harisinga revenue Circle. Several dignitaries namely - environmentalist Debanga Mahaliya, Hony. Wildlife Warden and senior journalist Bhargab Kumar Das etc addressed the people stressing the need for conservation of remaining flora and faunas of Assam, followed by a mammoth procession of more than thousand students, teachers and woman of several nearby schools and villages marching forward to the play ground of Faster Writing English School. D.N.Hazarika, Circle Officer ,who accompanied the procession addressed the huge gathering and requested all to come forward to take the responsibility of protecting nature and wildlife. Hiten Baishya of WWF Assam and prominent lady of the area Dakuna Newar also spoke a few words on the occasion. Later she told this correspondent that such programmes could have helped a lot if arranged earlier. Haladhar Kalita Forest Range Officer, Nonai Range Office guided media persons and a few students and nature loving people to Jalimukh, the most enchanting point of Nonai forest at the end of the day.

Ananta Bagh,CEO of Green Valley Forest and Wildlife Protection Society ( a Nonaipar based NGO engaged in conservational activities in the District ) was in all praise for his team members –Golap Behra,Arif Khan,Mahendra Subba,Firoz Ansari and Pradum Pradhan for their distinguished service to the noble cause of protecting nature and wildlife. He told this correspondent at Nonai Range Office that lack of awareness among the villagers had cost lives of so many animal and man. It needs mention that 10 wild elephants and 14 people had already lost their lives in Udalguri district in recent three months in the name of so called man-elephant conflict. All sections of people have welcomed the initiative mooted out by a few new generation crusaders at a time when forest areas have been shrinking day by day. The recent rally organized by these village people would be significant at a time when Union Forest and Environment Minister Joyram Ramesh remarked that the rate of forest destruction and rate of tiger’s death in India had been highest in Assam during 2009.