Javadekar promises special Rhino protection force for Assam

Minister for Environment and Forest Prakash Javadekar said Saturday that a special Rhino Protection Force will be formed soon to tackle the menace of rhino poachers in Assam.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati today, the minister said the protection force will be formed of local youths who are aware of the poachers activities.

Javadekar said, "I believe that the people of Assam love Rhinos and their commitment towards Rhinos are total. So, they will do everything to protect the Rhinos. So, it is the responsibility of the government to take all the steps required for keeping their commitment towards the Rhinos. In Assam, this time, 24 Rhinos have been killed."

"This should not happen again and how do we bring it down to zero, and for that, we will have zero tolerance for Rhino poaching. For that, the Centre is creating a special Rhino Force. The force will consist of local youths," he added.

"We will also create a task force which will coordinate between the states, the people, and then, we will find out a way to stop poaching," he added.

Seeking co-operation from the state government, Javadekar said, "This year, 24 poachers were arrested and 20 poachers were killed. We want the state government to be more active towards the elimination of poachers," adding "Development and maintaining equilibrium in the environment should happen simultaneously."

Assam had recently amended the Wildlife (Protection) Act 2009. The punishment for poaching was raised to minimum of seven years and maximum of life imprisonment.

Electronic gadgets and dog squads were also set up, but poaching of one-horned rhinos continues.

Kaziranga National Park is a world Heritage site. The park is the only natural habitat for one-horned rhinos in India.