ITANAGAR, 21 Feb: The Papum Pare District Border People’s Forum (PPDBPF) has appealed to the Papum Pare district administration to halt the proposed elephant estimation/census of 2024 under Lakhimpur forest division which falls along the inter-state border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Referring to an official order No.CON-03/Govt/2009-2010 issued dated 19th Feb, 2024, the Forum in its letter addressed to Papum Pare deputy commissioner on Wednesday, stated that the district administration is proposing to carry out the elephant estimation/census at a time when the locals belonging to Nyishi community are busy preparing for Nyokum Puja celebration as well as for upcoming election process.
“It is presently the period of local festival Nyokum Puja, which is to be celebrated right from 22 to 28 February in the Nyishi dominated areas of the state particularly, in border areas. People including govt. employees belonging to Nyishi community are also busy preparing for Nyokum Puja celebration as well as for upcoming election process,” the Forum said.
It further stated that owing to the violation of standing order/MoUs to maintain status-quo by Assam forest department which is carrying out development activities like road construction at Radasso under Tarasso circle, installing borewell and rural lining road (RLR) work at Behari Basty under Gumto cirle and constructing barbed wire fencing at Bello-2 under Kimin ADC without informing the local administration, GBs and PRI leaders, people of the said border areas are upset and are protesting the elephant estimation/census.
“There is a scope for unlawful activities to take place during the elephant estimation period between the locals and Assam forest department,” claimed the Forum and appealed to the Papum Pare DC to apprise his Assam counterpart about the current situation and halt the said census urgently.
