Manas Nat Park: Nature grp threatens agitation for govt apathy

Environment activist group Nature's Beckon today threatened to launch an agitation if the state and central governments do not take immediate steps to protect the bio-diversity of Manas National Park.
"We call upon the state and central governments for their urgent intervention in ensuring protection and conservation of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Manas National Park," Nature's Beckon Director Soumyadeep Datta told reporters here.
"Complacency and disregard on part of the government machinery will compel us to take up people-based mass movement for future protection of the Park," he added.
The group would wait for around one month to decide its future course of action and if not satisfied, Nature's Beckon would go for different "democratic modes of protest" like sit in and road blockades, he added.

"Nature's Beckon in its commitment towards the cause of biodiversity conservation would definitely leave no stone unturned in its pledge to ensure a safe future for the breathtakingly splendid wilderness of Manas National Park forever," Datta said.
The NGO accused the state government of failing to channelise the requisite amount of financial support to the government of BTAD, where the Park is located.

Datta alleged that the Park management has been seriously affected by severe shortage of frontline forest staff and lack of arms.
"The state of Assam is lobbying for earning the coveted UNESCO World Heritage Site recognition for several of its other renowned areas. In such a situation, it would be a matter of utter shame and disgrace for us to jeopardise the future of an already recognised site due to mismanagement and negligence," he added.

Manas National Park provides critical and viable habitats for rare and endangered species including tiger, one horned rhino, swamp deer, pygmy hog and Bengal florican.