The preliminary notification for constitution of Dehing Patkai National Park has been issued by the Assam government.
“The Governor of Assam, in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 35(1), (2) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended up-to-date, has issued a preliminary notification, stating that the state government intends to constitute Dihing Patkai National Park,” an official statement said in Guwahati on December 5.
In order to inquire into and determine the existence, nature and extent of rights of any person in or over the land comprised within the determined limits for constituting the said National Park, the deputy commissioners of Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts have been appointed to act as collectors under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, for their respective districts.
CM Sonowal directed officials to initiate process to upgrade Dehing Patkai
On July 6, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal had directed top government officials to take necessary steps to upgrade the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary, home to a vast variety of flora and fauna, to a national park.
In order to expedite the process, Sonowal directed the forest department to prepare a draft notification and hold a public hearing to take the views of local dwellers residing around the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary.
Sonowal also instructed to prepare an action plan for preserving the adjoining areas of the wildlife sanctuary and include the opinion of the public in the adjoining areas in the draft action plan.
Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts of Assam and covers an area of 111.19 square km rainforest. It was declared a sanctuary on June 13, 2004. It is located in the Dehing Patkai landscape which is a dipterocarp-dominated lowland rainforest. The rainforest stretches for more than 575 square km in the districts of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Charaideo. The forest further spreads over in the Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh. The Dehing Patkai forms the largest stretch of lowland rainforests in India. The Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as Dehing-Patkai Elephant Reserve under Project Elephant.
