Guwahati: Deep within the lush green forests of Cachar district in southern Assam lies the newly designated Barak Bhuban Wildlife Sanctuary, a haven for diverse wildlife. However, a recent development has cast a shadow over this sanctuary’s pristine beauty–the construction of a two-lane motorable road slicing through its protected heartland.
This road construction project, allegedly undertaken in violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980, has raised serious concerns among conservationists and environmental activists.
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The Assam Environment and Forest Department, under the leadership of the then-PCCF and HoFF (Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Head of Forest Force) M.K. Yadava, finds itself at the center of this controversy. Shockingly, in 2022, the department collaborated with the Public Works (Road) Department (PWD) to construct the road leading all the way to Bhuban Hill within the wildlife sanctuary.
Declared a wildlife sanctuary in July 2022, the Barak Bhuban encompasses a sprawling 320 square kilometres nestled between the Barak and Sonai rivers. This lush sanctuary serves as a critical habitat for a diverse range of wildlife. Eight primate species, including the slow loris, rhesus macaque, and hoolock gibbon, find refuge here. The sanctuary is also known to be a vital habitat for the king cobra.
However, locals have reported worrying trends emerging since the road construction began. Small shops are reportedly popping up along the route within the protected area, and vehicles are now seen plying on the newly built road.
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These developments have raised concern about increased vehicular traffic disturbing wildlife and potentially leading to habitat fragmentation. The illegal chopping down of trees within the sanctuary for personal use adds another layer of concern.
“Locals used to have a quiet pilgrimage route to the temple on top of Bhuban Hill during festivals like Sivaratri. They’d walk along a small, traditional path. Now, it’s been widened and turned into a busy PWD road with all sorts of vehicles driving on it every day. This is a major concern, as it disrupts wildlife habitats and poses a threat to the tranquility of the area,” said a local.
The story takes a more complex turn when examining the decision-making process behind the road construction. Sources said that the Assam Environment and Forest Department, under the leadership of the then-PCCF and HoFF M.K. Yadava, played a crucial role in the project’s initiation. In 2022, the department reportedly collaborated with the Public Works (Road) Department (PWD) to construct the road leading to Bhuban Hill, located within the sanctuary.
Sources said that the impetus for this project may have originated from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma himself. According to minutes of a meeting held on November 29, 2022, Chief Minister Sarma reportedly directed the forest department to explore options for constructing a road to Bhuban Hill. The minutes detail two proposed approaches presented to the officials in attendance, including then-PCCF Yadava, CCF P Sivakumar, and DFO Tejas Mariswamy.
The first approach involved diverting the area under the Forest (Conservation) Act and undertaking afforestation efforts in an equivalent area elsewhere. Under this scenario, control of the road and its right-of-way would have shifted from the Forest Department to the PWD, essentially transforming it into a public road.
The second approach, proposed by the Chief Minister, envisioned the entire land area remaining under Forest Department control. Here, the PWD would act as a collaborator, constructing and maintaining the road on behalf of the Forest Department, ensuring continued control over the route.
The minutes accessed by Northeast Now further reveal that Chief Minister Sarma directed the department to finalize one of these two options on the same day and brief him on their decision by evening.
Following these discussions, the Forest Department, led by PCCF Yadav, reportedly opted for the second approach, citing the dead-end nature of the road (meaning it wouldn’t connect to any other public roads). This decision ensured the road would remain under the Forest Department’s purview.
Recent satellite imagery obtained by this news website clearly shows the construction of the road extending all the way to the Bhuban Hill top, raising questions about the project’s adherence to the chosen approach and its potential long-term impact on the sanctuary’s ecological balance.