Concern over move to permit stone quarrying (Human Elephant Conflict)

January 3, 2006

Guwahati, Tuesday, 03 january, 2006

Concern over move to permit stone quarrying

By A Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Jan 2 – The State Forest department, condemned last year

for allowing quarrying operations at Behora, has again taken steps

to permit quarrying for stones near Mikir Chang. Surprisingly, the

area chosen for operations is not far from the world famous

Kaziranga National Park and is described as a prime elephant

habitat. According to knowledgeable sources, the Golaghat Forest

Division has recently invited tenders for quarrying operations for

the period 2006-08. About 10,000 cubic metres of stone are to be

extracted from the area. The site from where the stones would be

extracted is closer to Kaziranga than the controversial quarry at

Behora, which was closed down after sustained protests from several

quarters.

Significantly, the Director of the Kaziranga National Park, NK Vasu,

till now was unaware about the recent developments. Talking to The

Assam Tribune today, he said that he was yet to receive any official

word on the proposed stone quarry that would be close to the

National Park.

The conservation group Aaranyak has, however, taken serious note of

the issue and said that a move to open up a stone quarry inside a

prime elephant habitat and so close to a National Park would have

disastrous consequences for both human beings and elephants.

Dr Bibhab Talukdar, secretary general of Aaranyak, said that there

would be no benefits to local people or wildlife from the location

of the quarry at a sensitive ecological site. He said that if the

Government and the Forest department were serious about protecting

people and elephants, the proposal to open the stone quarry should

be stopped immediately.

There are several past precedents in Assam, where destruction of

prime elephant habitat compelled elephants to appear in settlements

and subsequently cause loss of property and lives. If the stone

quarry at Mikir Chang is opened, people of the surrounding areas

would have to face the threat of elephant raids and the elephants

too would confront a bleak future, Dr Talukdar added.

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