Guwahati: Massive illegal earth cutting is ravaging the Bondapara Reserve Forest under the West Kamrup division in Assam, and local residents have alleged that forest officials are either complicit or shockingly indifferent.
According to multiple sources, mafias have dug a canal approximately 300 meters long, 12 to 15 feet deep, and 15 to 60 feet wide, tearing through an important wildlife habitat.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
The forest, known for its wild elephants and other species, is under immediate threat. Residents warn that the destruction is so severe that it has already triggered soil erosion, displaced wildlife, and destabilized the local ecosystem.
Shockingly, this rampant excavation is happening in full view of the Dekapara Forest Beat Office and just behind the Bondapara Range Officer’s quarters.
Yet, officials have taken no action. Locals claimed this proves the West Kamrup Division is involved in or protecting the illegal operation.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
When contacted, West Kamrup DFO Subodh Talukdar claimed ignorance, stating he wasn’t aware if the area was even within the Reserve Forest.
Bondapara Deputy Range Officer Bhairab Chandra Sarma echoed similar cluelessness. Their visit to the site on Friday, GPS device in hand, only highlighted their negligence: despite visible signs of earth cutting, they offered no explanation or plan to stop it.
Locals named individuals from Sukuniapara, Kathalkuchi, and Boko villages as leading the excavation. They reported that heavy machinery operations were so intense that nearby homes shook and wildlife fled the area.
Adding to the outrage, rare Sal trees — vital to the forest’s biodiversity — were also felled to facilitate soil extraction.
Last November, the Kamrup district administration had formed seven task forces to crack down on illegal hill and earth cutting. Despite clear mandates and existing orders, enforcement appears nonexistent here.
Forest laws allow digging up to only 3 meters deep; yet, smugglers have exceeded this limit with impunity, underlining a system that is either broken or compromised.
If the destruction continues, locals warn that not only will the forest be lost, but the lives of wild elephants and the safety of nearby villages will be in grave danger.