Protest Erupts at Kaziranga Against Coal Mining in Dehing Patkai

Protests erupted in Kaziranga by various organizations against coal mining in Dehing Patkai and oil drilling in Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. The 'Mukto Seuj Kantha', a nature-lover NGO has staged a protest against the decision of the government of allowing coal mining in Dehing Patkai.

The NGO has staged protests by taking play cards in hands by maintaining social distancing amid the coronavirus outbreak. The NGO also threatened the government to stay away from coal mining and demanded to protect the resource of Assam.

On the otherhand, the NGO also condemned the decision of oil drilling in the Dibru-SaikhowaNational Park. The organization said that this kind of decision of thegovernment during the lockdown has brought a threat to the bio-diversity anddemanded to withdraw the decision of the government.

They further stated that coal mining in the park will also bring a threat to the man-elephant conflict and therefore they urged the government to rethink on the issue.

On the other hand, Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya said that what can the government do if illegal coal mining is taking place since 1932. "The permission of mining in Dehing Patkai has not yet given by the government," said Suklabaidya while visiting Kaziranga National Park to take stock of the situation of the wild-animals as Assam reels under flash flood due to the incessant rain.

He further stated that although it has completed the first phase for following 28 rules of mining, the second phase has not yet completed. "The mining has been permitted in the radius of 10 kilometers from the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary. The former government had permitted coal mining in 98 hectares of land from 1973 to 2003 and from 2003 till 2016-17, illegal coal mining took place in the sanctuary," informed Suklabaidya.

The minister further stated that the BJP government has seized five thousand metric tons of coal from the sanctuary and since then the coal mining has been banned in the sanctuary.