TEZPUR, Feb 17 — Rubul Pathak, Ranger of Chariduar Reserve Forest and Nirmaleswar Gohain, Ranger of Bhotpara Saw Mill area who were placed under suspension by an order to Joint Secretary, Forests, Assam, on January 25, have been absconding, police sources here said. Both the forest rangers were allegedly involved in encouraging deforestation by the illegal encroachers and the smugglers in Chariduar reserve forest.
Assam Forest Minister, Pradyut Bordoloi had visited the Nameri National Park on January 25 when the local villagers detected and exhibited a good number of logs of valuable trees smuggled and stored at safer places nearby the national park. There was also allegation that the elephants of Assam Forest Department were also hired by the timber smugglers from the vested interest Forest Department officials to carry the smuggled trees from Chariduar reserve forest to safer places.
Meanwhile, Rangapara police registered two cases No. 5/2003 and No. 6/2003 u/s. 406/409 and 447 IPC against the two suspended forest rangers still at large, police said. S N Singh, Assistant Conservator of Forests told this correspondent that the personnel of Assam Forest Protection Security Forces along with Sonitpur police, in presence of a Magistrate, launched a two-day eviction operation against illegal encroachers of forest land in Chariduar reserve forest under Hugrajuli forest beat till February 4. The eviction party demolished altogether 209 houses of encroachers and successfully cleared over 300 hectare of forest land.