Centre confirms Kaziranga encroachments

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Centre confirms Kaziranga encroachments

 

From Our Spl Correspondent

NEW DELHI, Dec 15 – The Ministry of Environment and Forest has

albeit belatedly confirmed that few encroachments have been reported

in the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) by graziers. In a Rajya Sabha

reply to a question by Syeda Anowara Taimur and Vijay Darda, Union

Minister of State for Environment and Forest, Namo Narayanan Meena

said there was no encroachment in the original 430 sq.km area of KNP.

However, encroachments by graziers have been reported in the area

added subsequently to the National Park. The MPs wanted to know

whether there have been encroachments by local mafia and Bangladeshi

migrants.

 

The Minister further added that the encroachments continue to be

there on the basis of the judgements and interim orders of Gauhati

High Court on the cases filed by the graziers.

 

Meanwhile, denying that the Centre has financially starved the

biosphere reserves in Asom, the Union Ministry of Environment and

Forest has said that the State Government has been asked to summit

management action plan for the next fiscal approved by the State

level Steering Committee.

 

In a reply to a question by UG Brahma, the Minister said that his

Ministry has released Rs 32.79 lakh grant during the 2004-2005.

 

The total quantum of funds released under the conservation and

management of biosphere reserves in the last fiscal was Rs 39.84 lakh

and not Rs 1 crore, Meena clarified.