Dissolve rhino horns committee, demand citizens
A citizens’ meet on Thursday unanimously demanded disbanding of the Rhino Horns Verification Committee, recently formed by the Government of Assam, as in its opinion, the committee is out to legalize all irregularities by those involved in killing and poaching of rhinos and selling their horns.Held at Guwahati Press Club and jointly organized by Nature’s Beckon and the Journalists’ Forum, Assam (JFA), the meeting also demanded of the authorities to make public the total number of horns from the rhinos naturally dead and those recovered after being killed by the poachers. But this number too must be arrived at after putting each and every horn to forensic tests. Presided over by JFA chief Rupam Baruah, and attended by leading intellectuals, journalists and nature-lovers, the meeting strongly advocated a CBI inquiry into all the murky incidents of killing and poaching of the animal and trading of its horns. The CBI probe should also include the dubious role being played by the Rhino Horns Verification Committee, the citizens said.Voicing his concern, renowned litterateur and journalist, Homen Borgohain said the Rhino Horns Verification Committee appears to be in a mission to bestow legal sanction on the irregularities so far indulged in by the captains of illegal rhino trade. This committee has no moral right to exist, he added.Mrinal Saikia, the ruling party MLA from Khumtai, said numerous incidents of killing and poaching of rhinos had taken place during Mohan Chandra Malakar’s tenure as the principal chief conservator of forests, wildlife. This clearly creates a conflict of interests when he took over as chairman of the verification committee, he said and added that neither he should have been made its chairman nor should he have accepted the post.Soumyadeep Dutta, director, Nature’s Beckon, in his speech, asked how come the Department of Forest, Assam boasted of selling rhino horns till 1979 as the Indian Wildlife Protection Act had already been enacted in 1972, which banned sale and purchase of animals and their meat. It means, Dutta pointed out, the department openly declared its complicity in an illegal act.Anuradha Sharma Pujari, Editor, Sadin, said the verification committee has lost all its credibility in its short span of existence. Asom Bani Editor, Dilip Chandan sought the immediate intervention of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in the issue.Ranen Kumar Goswami, senior journalist, also a JFA member, criticized a section of journalists for their audacity in behaving as self-styled spokespersons of the media. These journalists, involved neck-deep in the committee, have done all they could to suppress transparency instead of promoting it, he said. By killing transparency and preventing what happened behind the iron curtain from being disseminated, these journalists appear to have surrendered their professional ethics to the willful wrong-doers in illegal forest trade, he further said.Earlier, JFA secretary Nava Thakuria in his welcome speech, said the recent recovery of five fake rhino horns has proved beyond doubt the unholy alliance between corrupt officials and perpetrators of criminal acts. Others, who spoke on the occasion, included senior journalists Apurba Ballabh Goswami, Pulin Kalita and Chandan Duara, wildlife activists Mubina Akhtar, Jainal Abedin, Indrajit Dutta, Nitul Nath and Padum Barthakur, science writer Jagadindra Raichoudhury and rhino researcher Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya.
Random Stories
10 Oct 2017 - 2:26pm |
AT Kokrajhar Bureau
At a time when governments have been drumming for digital India across the country, the All India Radio(AIR) station situated at Bhotgaon Kashipara in Kokrajhar district is in seeing dilapidated...
26 Oct 2014 - 10:50pm |
AT News
Over 20 hours have passed since Kaushik Bora went misisng. But there is no trace of the Digboi Refinery executive director who is beleived to have been kidnapped on Sunday. The top IOC officer’s...
11 Sep 2008 - 1:25am |
editor
Four Asom Gana Parishad MPs have asked prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh to quit alleging discrimination towards Assam.Addressing a press conference in the city on Wednesday, they said Dr Singh who...
21 Nov 2013 - 11:11pm |
AT News
Dr Irshad Ali, former professor of Anthropology in Gauhati University has exhibited some of his paintings in a solo show at State Art Gallery, Guwahati. The exhibition (18-22 November 2013) has...
Other Contents by Author
Assam State Science & Technology Councils two days annual conclave has been inaugurated in Guwahati city on September 6 which has been organised by Assam Science Technology & Environment Council (ASTEC),Guwahati and supported by Department of Science & Technology,Government of India.The inaugural session was held at Hotel Gateway Grandeur where S&T officials from 23 Indian states have participated.In the inaugural ceremony at 11 am todayRavinder Gaur,Scientist D (TDT) and Member Secretary (SSTP),DST,India spoke on State S&T Council's Conclave while Dr.Neeraj Sharma,Advisor & Head (TDT),DST,India explained about significance of state S&T council programmes and...
The visit of the newly appointed Darrang DC Ashok Kumar Barman to the historic Raghunath Kuwnori xatra on September 3 recently was widely appreciated by the public.It is noteworthy that a day-long programme organised by Sipajhar College at its adopted village N0.1 Bijulibari underway when the DC dropped in.The programme began with a ‘Swacchata Abhiyan’ by the volunteers of the NSS and the volunteers from the village. At the meeting presided over by Dr Pradip Ch Deka, the Principal of Sipajhar College, the DC lauded the efforts of the college to bring the public and the administration closer.DC Barman in his friendly and informal interaction with the public and the students and...
The teachers are the torch bearers of the society.Their intellectual pursuits help their students to achieve goal. Now, since we are in the competitive world, the young generation will have to study hard to meet the challenge and the teachers should make their students to cultivate a competitive mind to meet the target. This was observed by Rihon Daimari, Minister, Food and Civil Supplies and PHE of Assam while addressing a congregation of working and retired teachers here at the conference hall of inspector of schools of Udalguri district circle here at Udalguri town today.The minister,who is also the local MLA addressed the assembly of teachers as the chief guest on the occasion of the...
Protesting against sharp price rise of essential commodities in the country,more than five hundred people mostly woman staged dharna in front of Kalaigaon Revenue Circle Office today on September 2 at 11 am on the day of Bharat Bandh.The protesters blocked the main gate of Kalaigaon Revenue Circle Office preventing government officials and employees including Additional Deputy Commissioner Udalguri. Police had to arrest all the protesters numbering more than five hundred to clear the entrance.They were taken to Kalaigaon police station campus after their detention for the day. Vehicular traffic were off the road,but shops and educational institutions remained open.
The National Children’s Science Congress (NCSC) Udalguri district will be held on September 14 at Golmagaon High School at Udalguri. This has been stated by Sadhana Hojai,DC,Udalguri who is also the president of NCSC DOC(District Organising Committee) Udalguri district.Udalguri district administration and office of the Inspector of Schools, Udalguri have already directed heads of more than hundred government educational institutions to offer help and support to children,students and teachers willing to present science projects at the ensuing district level Children’s Science Congress.It needs mention that Assam Science Technology and Environment Council, Guwahati has been supervising...
In a sensational incident miscreants kidnapped a father and his two sons from their residence at Udmari village near Kalaigaon town last night on August 30.According to information a nine member group of Bodo youths on motorcycles arrived at the house of Jona Ram Tamuli,the government gaonbura of No.2 Kalaigaon at around 12.30 am. Immediately after their arrival they started asking about secret treasure supposedly belonged to ULFA.They ordered the family members to hand over the ULFA treasure which they had allegedly found during JCB excavation in Sibasagar district some years back. Finding no clue or answer they forcefully picked up gaonbura Jona Ram Tamuli (60), his two sons namely -...
As per the first 100 days programme of the Science and Technology Department, Govt. of Assam, a three-day-long programme “Grooming and Mentoring of Students by Science & Mathematics Facilitators” was held at Sipajhar B.J. Girls’ High School, Darrang duringAugust 17-19. The programme was organized by Science & Technology Division of Assam Science Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC) in collaboration with Sipajhar B.J. Girls’ High School. The programme aimed to motivate the students to explore science and mathematics with simplicity, fun and out of the rigid framework of textbooks and show them career and opportunities in the field of science, technology and innovation.The...
Mahendra Saikia a renowned social worker of Kalaigaon has been sad now a days in his eighties.His dream of a peaceful and corruption free society has been shattered.Very recently he has been awarded with the “Chief Minister’s best Community Action Award for Development /2016” on the occasion of 70th Independence Day.When asked his feelings on receiving the award,Mahendra Saikia just expressed his anguish at present day social degradation.Speaking to this correspondent Saikia said that political promises were made only for power and such promises never materialised.”Political leaders and members of other social organisations lack good education and wisdom”, he regrets.Speaking on...
Kaziranga Wildlife Society (KWS)held its annual Nature Conservation Day in memory of its founder president Padmashree Robin Banerjee at the pensioners Bhawan at Chandmari in Guwahati on August 12.On the occasion the KWS Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to JFMC forest of Bhairabkunda (Gedsimani Forest) in Udalguri district.The JFMC comprising local vill;agers were instrumental in transforming a vast stretch of barren land (5500 bighas) into a green forest which today sheltres wide ranging wildlife.Delivering key note address on wildlife in urban areas of Assam,writter and conservationist Dr.Anowaruddin Choudhury said that the so called man animal conflict conflict was actually a...
Media fraternity of Udalguri district remembered late Kamala Saikia on his twenty fifth deat anniversary at Udalguri on August 9 with day long programme.Udalguri District Journalists' Union in association with Udalguri district administration organized the memorial ceremony at Udalguri Press Club premises at 10 am.The ceremony started with the hoisting of UDJU flag followed by offering floral tribute to the image of late Saikia.The memorial day meeting was held at 11.30 am to discuss role of the departed journalist in fighting against injustice done to innocent people of the society which was presided over by Jayanta Kumar Das,president of UDJU.Dilip Kumar Barua,secretary of the union in...
Add new comment