The Hindu : National : 'Aaranyak' to boycott Kaziranga festival

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Monday, Jan 30, 2006

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National

'Aaranyak' to boycott Kaziranga festival

Special correspondent

To protest against killing of a journalist allegedly by timber mafia

Guwahati: `Aaranyak,' a society for biodiversity conservation in North East India, has decided not to participate in the elephant festival scheduled to begin in Kaziranga on Monday, in protest against the killing of Prahlad Gowala, a journalist of Golaghat, allegedly by timber mafia.

Aaranyak said Gowala was killed because he portrayed the major destruction that has taken place in the elephant habitats of Nambor forests.

Dr. Hillol Jyoti Singha, publicity secretary of the group, said the Aaranyak would offer logistic support to the family of late Gowala to get justice. The Forest Minister on January 19 said he had written to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi requesting him for a probe by the CBI into the "mysterious death" of Gowala.

The young journalist was murdered on the night of January 6 allegedly by timber mafia and his body was found at Thuramukh near the Nambor forest reserve. Aaranyak has also expressed its serious concern at the deteriorating state of the key elephant corridors in Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape due to increased anthropogenic pressure.

It pointed out that the reserve harbours the maximum number of elephants as compared to other elephant reserves. Elephant reserves should be left outside the purview of any developmental project.

"Unless the elephant habitats are improved and elephant corridors are kept out of further alteration cum encroachment, the human-elephant conflict is bound to increase in near future," Dr. Singha said.

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