The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) staged a 2-hour sit-in demonstration at Naharkatia in Dibrugarh demanding proper demarcation of the newly-inaugurated Assam’s Dihing Patkai National Park.
Assam forest minister Parimal Suklabaidya inaugurated the Dihing Patkai National Park on July 3, 2021.
The Dihing Patkai National Park covers an area of 234.26 sq km in Assam and spreads over the Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
Reportedly, over 110 hectares of the national park have been encroached by Arunachal Pradesh.
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“There is no clear demarcation of the Dihing Patkai National Park. Over 110 hectares of the national park are under illegal encroachment by Arunachal Pradesh,” an AASU leader said.
“Tree felling and hunting of wild animals have been going on unabated and due to dense forests, some of the areas are not easily accessible. The Assam government should make the national park free of encroachment and carry out proper conservation of wildlife and biodiversity,” the AASU leader added.
The Dihing Patkai National Park, known for its rainforest, is home to 47 mammal species, 47 reptile species and 310 butterfly species.
The Dihing Patkai National Park falls under the Jeypore range and Soraipung range of the Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts.
Dihing Patkai was declared as a national park on the last World Environment Day (June 5, 2021) by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the official process was completed with the publication of the notification on June 15, 2021.