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Green Woes affecting NORTH EAST
627 sq. km of forest cover lost over the period from 2011 to 2013
That in Northeast India, Assam is the most problematic of all states is a fact known to everyone. So much that the return of lasting peace to Assam sometimes seems like a distant dream, what with periodic agitations by various social-political organizations that press for fulfillment of their demands or against the proposed mega dams or even frequent incidents of violence including abduction and killing in the BTAD leading to unrest in the state. It is to be conceded that the state’s problems are varied and many; and, resolving them one by one in a record time is no easy task for the state government given the nature of some of them having become complex overtime . But then, if the same establishment is in power for more than one or two terms, then it must try and tackle some serious problems afflicting a state and its people.
Arguably, in Assam, Gogoi’s government has been in the saddle for three consecutive terms. In this era of cut-throat competition for political hegemony, staying in power for three terms in a row is simply not a matter of joke. Remaining more than two terms in authority, as Gogoi’s government has been, is a considerate spell of time for an establishment to prove its potential. But it is a pity that the government has not been able to address any of the complicated, long –standing social concerns till date that may be worthy of note.
In an inquisitive mind may arise the question as to why these problems still remain unsolved. Should one care to go by its track record in the past few years, what will probably be intelligible is that the fundamental reason behind its inability is the lack of commitment on its part which any government must have in order to tackle problems. In the past two years if Dispur has hardly been able to address the state’s social concerns, its major reason is the on-going dissidence within the ruling congress.
In this issue, however, the subject matter of discussion is the serious problem of steadily declining forest cover not only in Assam but in other states of Northeast India as well. This is a development that is as perennial a problem as floods and erosion in the region . But what has been a matter of prime concern to us is that systematic unauthorized tree-cutting has been continuing unabated. Even then, the regional government seem to be dithering in giving due importance to preservation of forests when the situation on the ground urgently merits a well-thought-out mechanism involving foolproof security with basic infrastructure and manpower to curb the rapidly declining forest cover.
Dwaipayan
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