(IN): House okays wildlife protection amendment Bill

July 17, 2009

wildlife protection amendment Bill

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, July 16 – The State Assembly today passed the Wildlife

(Protection) (Assam Amendment) Bill-2009, incorporating more stringent

provisions to check wildlife crimes, including life term for poaching. The

Bill (now an Act) has made first-time poaching a punishable offence by

imprisonment from seven to ten years in place of the earlier provisions of

three to seven years. For a second offence, the quantum of punishment will

extend from ten years to life imprisonment.

Terming the day as a historic occasion for the State’s wildlife lovers,

Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain said that the Bill was drafted after

pursuing the matter with the Centre, besides having wide-ranging discussions

with wildlife experts, NGOs and members of the judiciary so that the legal

loopholes in tackling wildlife crimes could be addressed.

AGP member Pradip Hazarika wanted the Bill to have provisions for preventing

any human settlement within a radius of 200 metres of wildlife sanctuaries

and national parks for checking encroachment and wildlife crimes in

protected areas. He reasoned that growing human settlements by protected

forests, besides encroachments, made it extremely easy for poachers to

operate and decimate wildlife at will.

The minister, however, said that removing existing settlements within

protected areas became much difficult following the enactment of the

Centre’s Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers’

(Recognition of Forest Rights) Act-2006. “For instance, we are unable to

relocate two forest villages inside Dibru-Saikhowa National Park even after

having the necessary fund for the purpose. The villagers are against leaving

the forest,” he said.

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