Force to combat Assam floods - Kaziranga national park on alert with arms, gadgets

Floodwaters of the Brahmaputra submerge an area outside Kaziranga National Park. Picture by UB Photos

Jorhat, July 22: Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi today said three persons have so far died in the floods but the situation was improving, with a disaster management force being formed for deployment in the affected areas, as Kaziranga National Park braced for possible inundation.

“A disaster management force is being formed, which will rush to flood affected areas and provide immediate help to the needy,” Gogoi said today at a news conference.

So far two relief camps are operating, compared to 250 when floods had struck earlier.

The total area affected is 5.7 lakh hectares, while the crop area affected is 15,941 hectares.

“The overall flood situation, as of now, has improved but there are still a couple of months more to watch out for,” he said.

At Kaziranga National Park, the authorities are preparing to face the floods and poachers this year, armed with night vision binoculars, fluorescent jackets and 303 rifles.

The park director, Surajeet Dutta, said the park has procured a few night vision binoculars recently, which would be given to forest guards posted in anti-poaching camps inside the park.

This is the first time that the guards will be armed with such high-tech devices.

“We believe that these binoculars will come in handy for the guards who face all odds while on duty at the camps. The binoculars are expected to be a big boost in our anti-poaching drives. We have also supplied solar lamps at several camps,” the director said.

He said the park authorities have also purchased several 303 rifles recently to arm the forest guards.

“This is apart from the fluorescent jackets, which would be worn by the guards on duty along National Highway 37 during floods,” he said.

Forest minister Rockybul Hussain visited the park yesterday to monitor the preparations in view of the ensuing floods.

The minister expressed satisfaction over the preparations and said the floodwaters have still not submerged the national park.

“Annual floods are necessary for Kaziranga, as these help to clean up unwanted growth and refill the waterbodies inside the park. But the floods also force the animals out of the park and we have to ensure their safety during this routine migration,” the minister told reporters last night.

He added that more than 150 forest guards have been sent on deputation to the national park a couple of days ago for duty during the flood season.

“We have deputed extra guards at the vulnerable Haldibari anti-poaching camp, through which a large number of animals escape to the nearby Karbi Anglong hills during the floods,” he said.

The park director said, only the guards deputed on the national highway would wear fluorescent jackets, to ensure that vehicles plying there at night could spot them easily.

Another Kaziranga official said time cards would be introduced for vehicles plying on the highway to check the speed of vehicles.

“Only a few animals are crossing the highway, as the park is not fully flooded. We will introduce time cards as soon as the park gets flooded,” he said.

Last night, a speeding vehicle ran over a deer as it was crossing the highway at Kanchanjuri.

The official said police forces from Golaghat, Sivasagar, Nagaon, Karbi Anglong and Sonitpur have been alerted to be on guard during the flood season.

A joint team of Assam police and forest guards recovered Rs 2.5 lakh from the residence of Pranjal Das of Natun Gaon village under Biswanath Chariali police station in Sonitpur district last night.

An operation was launched at Das’ residence following information that he was in possession of a rhino horn.

The police said Das, who has been arrested, may have already sold off the horn.