Reported by Laxman Sharma
Digboi: The new Divisional Forest Office complex of Assam’s Digboi Forest Division, launched in 2024, remains incomplete more than two years after work began.
The project was intended to replace the existing office building, which was constructed in 1960 and continues to house the division’s administrative operations.
The Digboi Forest Division manages more than 64,000 hectares of forest, including the Dehing Patkai National Park and parts of the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve.
Despite the progress of the new project, officials continue to work from the old office building, which has ageing infrastructure and limited facilities.
A visit to the existing office complex shows signs of deterioration, including worn roofing, weathered walls and ageing amenities. Concerns over leaks, maintenance and safety become more prominent during the monsoon season.
The Digboi Forest Division oversees more than 64,000 hectares of Reserved and Proposed Reserved Forests in the Dehing Patkai landscape. The area is known for its biodiversity and is home to species including wild cats, Asian elephants, hoolock gibbons, hornbills and numerous orchid species.
Even as the division carries out conservation work and addresses challenges such as encroachment and illegal felling, its headquarters continues to face infrastructure constraints.
Sources in the Forest Department said delays in bill processing and fund disbursement may have affected the pace of the project.
According to departmental sources, procedural and financial issues contributed to the delay in completing the building.
Sources said around 86 per cent of the construction work has been completed. The remaining work mainly involves finishing, interior installations and related infrastructure.
The project has continued through the tenures of multiple Divisional Forest Officers. Despite substantial progress, the building has not yet been commissioned.
The Digboi Forest Division plays a key role in conservation efforts in the Dehing Patkai landscape, an ecologically significant area facing environmental and developmental pressures.
There have been calls for the remaining work to be completed and the facility to be made operational at the earliest.
The project remains unfinished as the monsoon season begins in the region.