Environment / Assam

KHASIAPUNJI (Hailakandi), March 28 – The Khasi people of Khasiapunji in Hailakandi district have been practising the age-old traditional jhum cultivation keeping environment clean. They are producing betel, banana and pine-apples in the hills through jhum cultivation without burning the forests before starting the process. It could be a very good lesson for the other tribal communities of the region practising jhum cultivation. Jhum or shifting cultivation is one of the most ancient systems of farming and the method marked the transition from hunting and food gathering to food production. The...

NEW DELHI, March 28 – Bowing to growing pressure, Union Environment and Forest Ministry has ordered an inquiry into the death of an elephant in Chattisgarh last month that involved Parbati Barua, even as the lone woman elephant-expert held it was the lack of timely and efficient veterinary support and not training, which resulted in the death of the elephant.

The controversy surrounding the death of the wild tusker in captivity has generated a lot of heat with involvement of animal rights groups, NGOs and experts including former Union Minister, Maneka Gandhi who lodged a complaint against...

SHILLONG, March 28— Unscientific mining claimed the lives of atleast seven coal mine labourers in the Nangalbibra coalfields in South Garo Hills on Tuesday, according to delayed reports received here.

The miners accidentally dug into an abandoned mining hole at Dothichiring area following which water gushed out engulfing them. This also led to the collapse of the cave entrance, sources said adding that the toll is likely to go up as all the bodies are yet to be extricated.

Death of miners in cave-ins is common in the coal fields of South Garo Hills, where 40 workers were killed under similar...

KOKRAJHAR, March 25— Realising an urgent need to protect Katrigacha Reserve Forest under Dhubri district territorial division from rapid destruction of primary forests as well as ‘Golden Langur’ habitat in the area, ‘green heart’ a nature conservation society of North-east involving villagers of the fringe area for forest conservation.

As a part of their activity, a meeting was held with the villagers of Boro Gandrabil of Kokrajhar district at Dwimalu club-cum-library premises with DP Bankhowal, IPS, Conservator of Forests, Western Assam Circle as the chief guest and BN Patiri, divisional...

JORHAT, March 23 — Impressed by the unmatched cultural repository preserved at the Vaishnavite monastic institutions in the river island, Majuli, Lerici Foundation, which is an officially recognised implementing agency for UNESCO, and based at Milan in Italy, has evinced interest in undertaking a bilateral research project on the State’s archaeological treasures in collaboration with the Gauhati University.

With the Foundation recently deputing French archacologist Raphael Rousseleau, who works for the organisation, to inspect and assess several sites of historical, cultural and...

GUWAHATI, March 17 — The first step towards setting up of the 2,000 MW Subansiri hydro-power project by the NHPC has been cleared with the State Government giving clearance for use of 856.3 hectares of reserve forest land for the project. Talking to The Assam Tribune here today, Minister of State for Forest Pradyut Bordoloi said that the State Government decided to give clearance for use of reserve forest land as Subansiri project would be the largest hydro-power project in the country. However, he asserted that the Government would never compromise on the interest of environment, forest and...

GUWAHATI, March 11 — The Early Birds has conducted a series of elephant camps for the departmental elephants of the wild life sanctuaries of the state during the last couple of weeks press release said. The 1st camp was held at Pobitora WLS on the January 18 where seven elephants were examined, treated for periodical deworming with appropriate doses, vaccinated for immunising them against FMD for the next six months.

The second camp was organised at Orang NP from February 1-2 for its 19 elephants. The third camp was held from February 22 to 24 at Nameri NP, where all the domesticated...

Guwahati, March 12: People for Animals (PFA), a leading animal rights organisation, has taken a serious note of the Assam government’s decision to “eliminate” two wild tuskers. Taking cognisance of a report published in The Telegraph northeast on March 11, chairperson of the organisation and former Union minister Maneka Gandhi said that she had learnt from “reliable sources” that the two tuskers ordered to be killed by the chief wildlife warden were in no way responsible for any human deaths.

The animal rights activist demanded that safe elephant corridors be created and the government...

SADIYA, March 12 — For the Brahmaputra Board engineers, used to prepare master plans to save the region from the vagaries of floods and erosion in the region, actually executing a flood and erosion control scheme is a new challenge. The Centre has asked the Board to take up the proposed Rs 400 crore composite scheme to check erosion by the Brahmaputra upstream of Dibrugarh in August last year. The reason being that central grants to Assam are not properly utilized.

After officials of Brahmaputra Board placated the literally bruised Assam Flood Control department, work began in earnest to...

Tezpur, March 10: The chief wildlife warden of Assam has issued an order to shoot two wild tuskers by an elephant hunter. Official sources said wild tuskers have killed at least 12 people in Biswanath, Bihali, Johamari, Tinkhoria and Teliagaon under two wildlife forest divisions of Sonitpur district. The tuskers still at large have trampled to death 10 people in Sonitpur east wildlife forest division while two other persons have been killed in the Sonitpur west forest division since November.

Sources said expert elephant hunter Dinesh Choudhury has been assigned the task of eliminating the...