Sonowal asks fringe villagers to guard against rhino poachers in Kaziranga

Guwahati : Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowl called upon fringe area people to play pro-active role in taming rhino poachers in Kaziranga National Park where the best efforts put up by the forest staff have not been sufficient to stop rhino poaching.
Poachers killed 18 rhinos in the National Park during 2016 including seven since the BJP government came to power in the state in May last year raising questions over steps taken by the government to  keep the rhino poachers at bay.
“Forest guards and the police have been putting in their best efforts to stop rhino poaching. But people living in the fringe villages of Kaziranga National Park too have to play a very positive and proactive role in order to wipe out the menace,” Sonowal said while releasing a book on the one-horned rhinoceros of Assam.
“Both the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union minister Maneka Gandhi are very much concerned about  rhino poaching. Every time I meet them they ask about steps being taken to stop rhino poaching. There is a perception outside that we have failed to protect the rhinos,” Sonowal said.
“There are lapses on the part of the forest department. The government is trying to spruce up the forest department. But, apart from the government, people living in the fringe areas of the districts in which Kaziranga is spread have to play their role. After all, tourism centering round the rhino creates livelihood opportunities for the people,” the CM said. He called upon people in the fringe villages in Kaziranga to give prompt information to police and forest staff in casethey notice movements of strangers near the Park.
State forest and environment minister Pramila Rani Brahma too admitted that her department had failed to stop rhino poaching.
“The poachers are so sharp that we have not been able to prevent poaching despite such hard work. Poachers have killed seven rhinos since our new government took over,” she said.
“I must admit that rhinos cannot be protected in Kaziranga with the existing staff strength . They have been working round the clock. The situation has slightly improved after Director General of police has sent 50 Home Guards with arms to back up the Kaziranga staff. We are also soon recruiting a number of local youth to forest department for deployment in Kaziranga Park,” she informed.