Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Arms training for Orang NP forest staff arranged in India



An arms training camp has been arranged for 120 numbers of forest staff including permanent,fixed pay and casual workers of Orang National Park (Rajiv Gandhi NP)from October 26,2010 at Kurua firing range,Darrang.It has been organised under IRV 2020.The shooting training will be supervised under SP,Darrang and will continue for ten days. S.K.Daila,DFO,Orang National Park told this correspondent that each staff would be given five rounds for application firing on targets and marks would be awarded to the participants after which top twenty five performers would be rewarded after the training.It needs mention that this has ben the first ever sophisticated fire arms training arranged for the forest personals of Orang National Park.According to the DFO,Orang NP,such training will boost the confidance of the forest personals so as to prepare them to fight against poachers.At present,the Orang forest personals have been lacking training and weapon to counter poachers and other anti social elements.He further said that such training would be arranged every year to counter poachers.Amit Sarma of WWF also attended the inaugural ceremony of the arms traing along with DFO,Orang.

19 Udalguri child scientists attend state NCSC at Silchar (Assam)




The 18th National Children's Science Congress (NCSC) has commenced at Assam University campus,Silchar and will continue till October October 30 2010.Child scientists from all the 27 districts of Assam have already arrived at Silchar to present their projects on the focal theme-Land Resources : Use for Prosperity,Save for Posterity under sub-themes like-Know your land, Functions of soil,Soil quality, Sustainable use of land resources, Community knowledge on land use,Anthropodegenic activities on land etc.Eighteen numbers of child scientists from Udalguri district along with three officials have arrived at Silchar to present their projects.The child scientists are-(1)Pranabjyoti Deka & Sagarika Sarma of Tangla Adarsha Vidyapith;(2)Pallabi Borah & Susmita Kar of Arunodoi Academy,Tangla;(3)Nina Mahalia & Ajanta Borah of Jatiya Vidyalaya, Assam, Tangla;(4)Siba Prasad Boro & Pranjal Rabha of Tangla HS School;(5)Saurav Upadhaya & Sanjeeb Saikia of Ramawarup Agarwalla Memorial English School,Udalguri;(6)Bhupali Hazarika & Brasha Rani Deka of Orang HS School;(7)Pradymna Barua & Jogen Sarania of Khagara High School;(8) Famuna Bodo and Sikha Rani Kachari of U.N. Academy, Kalaigaon and (9)Rupkumar Mandal & Pratim Pol Deka of Sankardev Vidya Niketan, Mazbat.It needs mention that 26 numbers of child scientists will be selected at Silchar to represent Assam at the National Level Congress to be held near Chennai from December 27 to 31.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Eviction of illegal saw mills welcomed in Udalguri district



The Udalguri district administration has taken strict actions against illegal saw mills operating at various places of the district.At the direction of SS Meenakshi Sundaram, Deputy Commissioner,Udalguri, a joint team of civil,police and forest officials, headed by TR Pegu, SDPO (Bhergaon Sub-division) raided the premises of a few illegal saw mills located at Kalaigaon on October 11.The saw mill had been run by-Saiful Haque,Rahabul Haque,Rashid Ali and Asraf Ali of Kalaigaon.The team seized huge amounts of sawn timber.The team also raided the premises of another two illegal saw mills Kabirali (10 KM from Kalaigaon)The saw mills had been run by Edward Daimari and Prahar Daimari.According to official sources approximately 500 CFT of sawn timbers had been seized from both the places.In another operation,forest officials seized 25 nos of bi-cycles carrying 200 CFT of sawn timber at Mazbat,Orang and Rowta areas till October 11.

Bankim Sarma,DFO,Udalguri told this correspondent that the eviction had been possible for coordination and cooperation among police,forest and civil authorities of the district.He also thanked ABSU Udalguri for offering full support to the process of eviction.It needs mention that a number of illegal saw mills had been operating in the district causing untold harm to environment and ecology.People living in the villages had made it a habit of felling even small immature trees to be sawn in the illegal saw mills for earning money.

TR Pegu,SDPO,and in-charge of the operation told that any size of timber could be sawn in such saw mills,thereby encouraging village people to sell their immature fruit and valuable household trees.He said that if things were not stopped,Udalguri would turn into a treeless district in future.He appealed people not to fell trees but to plant more and more trees under “Mission Udalguri Green” launched by Udalguri district administration.

It may also be mentioned that a meeting was held at Udalguri Dcs conference hall on October 7 to discuss the matter.Several high ranking officials and heads of organizations ,including- Col.S Upadhaya, CO,315 Field Regiment; Dipen Boro, President,district ABSU; Govinda Basumatari,General Secretary of NDFB (P); leaders of ARSU; AASAA, ABSYF; AAGSU and AKRSU etc attended the meeting which was presided over by SS Meenakshi Sundaram, Deputy Commissioner,Udalguri.It was agreed in the meeting that threat posed by deforestation due to illegal tree felling by a section of antisocial elements would be stopped in the district by evicting all the illegal saw mills including the eviction of Sastrapara timber auction market in the first phase under “Mission Green Udalguri”

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Hide & seek

Self portrait at Durgapur

At Durgapur

Energy Park,Durgapur

Inside Durgapur Steel Plant auditorium

New bridge over Hooghly

Enjoying at Nicco Park

Water fun

View of Nicco Park,Kolkata

Lake at Nicco Park,Kolkata

Toy train station

Boating at Nicco Park,Kolkata

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Two strayed Orang NP tigers saved in India

A tiger from Orang National Park (in Udalguri district of Assam in India)strayed out of the park through southern boundary on the night of October 10. After crossing Brahmaputra it had reached Hama Char area and killed two cows and two buffaloes there.It needs mention that there had already been another tiger in the area which too had been strayed out of the Orang NP.Total seven nos of cattle had been killed last week and eleven in the month by both the tigers.According to S.K.Daila,DFO,Orang NP,forest officials had immediately arrived in the char village and paid compensation to the affected families.But according to him the trend of tigers straying out of orang NP had been worrisome both for the villagers as well as forest officials.He further said that at least two tigers would have been poisoned to death by the irate villagers,had compensations been not paid in time.To mitigate the conflict,joint vigilance parties had been formed for affected areas, who would watch movement of the tigers in night time,the DFO said.

Tragic death of an Indian wild Gaur

Frequent deaths of wild animals in the state of Assam in India has been a growing concern for the nature loving people.The causes of deaths had been- reckless driving of trucks and trains,illegal poaching,poisoning by villagers living near reserve forests and accidental deaths caused by forest officials etc.Such an incident occur on October 6 in Udalguri district when a tranquilized male Indian wild Gaur died in the process of its rescue operation.The animal was spotted at Daflapota near Gelabil (Orang) on October 4. Hundreds of fun making villagers started chasing the innocent wild animal who had strayed away either from Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh jungles.A team of experts from CWRC (Conservation of Wildlife and Rehabilitation Centre) Kaziranga NP under WTI (Wildlife Trust of India) arrived, at the request of Bankim Sarma,DFO,Dhansiri Forest Division, Udalguri on October 6. The exhausted and empty stomached wild animal finally took shelter at Betali TE near Mazbat where it was tranquilized by Dr.Anil Deka of CWRC,Kaziranga NP.Five people including Dr.Deka got injury in the process of rescuing the animal.The animal was arranged to be released at Sikaridanga in Bhairabkunda Reserve Forest on October 7. But it breathed its last before regaining sense.Environmentalists said that the animal was too weak, exhausted and empty stomached at the time of tranquilizing.They also appeal people not to chase away or disturb wild animals coming out to locality in search of food.