GUWAHATI, Feb 22 – At a time when rapidly shrinking forest cover is exposing the State’s biodiversity to the gravest possible danger, a move to construct a PWD road through Amchang reserve forest in the outskirts of the city has evoked vehement opposition from the Forest Department and environmentalists who fear it will create serious disturbance to the fragile eco-system of the area. The PWD (Road) Guwahati Division, NEC, on February 10 sought permission from the Forest Department to conduct a survey from Panjabari-Batahghuli to the NH-37 via Patarkuchi.
The proposed survey runs through the common boundary of the contiguous South Amchang reserve forest (RF) and Khanapara RF where large-scale eviction was carried out in May-June last year followed by a massive plantation drive. The area along which the road is sought to be constructed, is highly prone to fresh encroachment and illegal tree-felling for firewood from the nearby villages. Any non-forest activity for several days in connection with road survey is most likely to open the floodgates for fresh encroachment and tree-felling, contends the Kamrup East Division Forest office, under which the RFs tall.
The Amchang Hill (53.18 sq.km) together with Amchang South (15.50 sq.km) and Khanapara (9.96 sq.km) RFs constitute some of the most pristine forests found in the State. Home to a wide variety of animals and birds like the elephant, bison, leopard, wild boar, pangolin, slow lorris, procupine, capped langur, sambar, barking, deer, hornbill, black pleasant, etc, it is likely to be upgraded to a wildlife sanctuary very soon. Environmentalists, in fact, feel that is the only way to save the Amchang and its wildlife from further degradation.
An ideal elephant habitat with a population of about 35, Amchang’s elephants create widespread depredation in the fringe areas because of habitat fragmentation and extended area of cropping over the years. Any attempt to disturb the fragile eco-system will lend to further trouble in the area, environmentalists warn. Even Sub-section (iii) of Section 1.3 of the Forest Conservation Act 1980 (amended up to 1992) and subsequent guidelines issued make it mandatory to obtain the Central Governments’ prior approval before carrying out any survey, investigation and exploration, whether or not felling of trees is involved, in wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and sample plots demarcated by the Forest Department.
Meanwhile, environmental groups including Aranyak Nature Club, Early Birds and Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) have decried the move to build a road through the forest and said they will resist it to protect the rich flora and fauna of Amchang. Amchang RF, it may be mentioned, had a sizeable number of the hoolock gibbon, an endangered species and India’s only ape, till 1996. Although there has been no sighting of the hoolock of late, local people claim that deep inside the forests, it is still there. Amchang also boasts of a rich avian life with over 150 species, many of which are rare including crested serpent eagle.