Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Illegal hill cutting at Damelia Basti is tearing apart the local terrain near Garopara. Unknown individuals carved into the hillside within the Rani forest range in Assam's Kamrup district. The stolen earth is filling a new 500-metre-long road nearby. The site sits dangerously close to the Garopara Beat Office inside the Palasbari Legislative Assembly Constituency.
Locals and environmentalists are furious. They demand the Kamrup district administration, Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah, and the local MLA stop the destruction. The Rani forest region supports diverse wildlife along the Assam-Meghalaya border. Experts fear the damage ruins vegetation and destroys vital habitats.
Rani Range Officer Roji Barman claims her department does not know who is responsible for the destruction. A team is inspecting the site now. Barman said, "The forest department was unaware of the identities of those involved in the alleged hill cutting." Officials hope to catch the diggers red-handed if they return to finish the work.
The region has a history of trouble. Reports of poaching, tree felling at Nalapara, and illegal resource extraction keep surfacing. Authorities face mounting pressure to increase surveillance and stop the damage before the ecological balance collapses permanently.
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