Maksam Tayeng

PASIGHAT, Jan 20:  Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Sunday said that he will take up the matter of illegal encroachment by Assam residents inside Daying Ering Wildlife Sanctuary with his Assam counterpart shortly to resolve the problems.
Khandu was responding to a question by this scribe based on the letters/petitions written by Pasighat West MLA, Ninong Ering to the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, wherein Ering raised huge concern over the illegal encroachments by people from neighbouring Assam who have also let loose their cattle to openly graze deep inside the sanctuary besides constructing cattle sheds.
“I am writing this letter to bring to your attention on the matters related to the demarcation within the D. Ering Wildlife Sanctuary along the inter-state boundary between Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. During the final discussion on the inter-state boundary, I had agreed with the Assam counterparts on certain conditions regarding the sanctuary”, writes Ering to both Arunachal and Assam Chief Ministers. “However, it has come to my notice that the officials from Assam are allowing the establishment of cattle sheds and encroachments for cultivation within the sanctuary. The construction activities by the Assam forest officers in the D. Ering WLS have caused distress among the sanctuary staff and the villagers of Oyan, Sika Tode and Sika Bamin who have raised concerns with me”, added Ering.
Ering also by his letters reminded both Khandu and Sarma that ‘during the final boundary agreement with the Arunachal and Assam chief ministers in January 2023, it was clearly agreed that no new cattle sheds or settlements would be permitted within the sanctuary boundary. We have already witnessed examples such as the Gali Reserve Forest, which has been converted into villages by people from Assam thereby leading to the exclusion of forested areas from their original purposes, quoted Ering as comparison. Hence, Ering has earnestly requested both Khandu and Sarma to deploy forest officials from both the states to ensure that the sanctity of the D. Ering WLS is maintained, as he believes that the joint efforts will prevent further encroachments and protect the sanctuary for future generations.
On the part of Khandu, he said that he received a letter from Pasighat West MLA, Ninong Ering today morning here in Pasighat just before his attending the Adi-Apatani Summit-2025 and he has endorsed the same to the Dy. Commissioner, East Siang District to submit a detailed report of the matter in his office for his further action. “Broadly, in the matter of Arunachal-Assam boundary issue, we have closed down on the maximum areas, but there are some sections on which we still need to work out. Recently also, I had an informal meeting with the Assam CM, Hemanta Biswa Sarma, wherein we had discussed the remaining boundary issue and very shortly we will jointly take it up again”, assured Khandu.
It is pertinent to mention here that, the D. Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary, located in the river islands of Siang/Brahmaputra river stretching from south of Pasighat township upto Arunachal-Assam boundary is named after Late Dr. Daying Ering, who is known as a father of modern Arunachal. Ninong Ering, being the son of Late Dr. Daying Ering, has been trying his best to help the management of the D. Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary Division, Pasighat to free the sanctuary from illegal encroachments from Assam side. In this connection, Ering had also written to Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for E, F & CC, Govt. of India during the March 2023, urging the ministry’s attention to intervene in evicting out the illegal settlements of human with the cattle with its sheds at Siboguri in the D. Ering WLS areas, because as per the notification of the sanctuary boundary, those areas of Siboguri entirely comes under the sanctuary jurisdiction to which people from Assam had encroached.
However, after the ministry’s intervention by writing to the Chief Wildlife Wardens of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to do the necessary actions to evict out the illegal encroachments and settlements at Siboguri and Anchalgat areas under D. Ering WLS which is a major wildlife habitat and corridor between D. Ering WLS and Dibru Saikhowa National Park, the illegal settlements of Siboguri has been shifted out by the Assam government this year after the flood in Siang/ Brahmaputra submerged the Siboguri/Sibiya Chapori areas of the sanctuary in the last monsoon. The shifting out/relocation of cattles with human settlements at Siboguri area (a vital wildlife corridor for wild elephants, Leopards, Tigers and other wild animals) was also confirmed by Bhuban Pegu, MLA Jonai on December 19th last while responding to the question of media at Poba, Jonai (Assam).  
However, the illegal encroachments and setting up of cattle sheds by the people from Assam are not stopped and removed in Anchalghat Range side of the sanctuary which has irked the wildlife staffs of D. Ering WLS, public of Sika Tode, Sika Bamin and Oyan including the veteran and seasoned politician of the state, Ninong Ering. While Assam forest officials have already evicted out large settlements and cattle sheds of Kobo Chapori and nearby areas, but cattle sheds are there at Miriyakal area near Sisu bagan opposite Jeepghat Beat of Anchalghat Wildlife Range under D. Ering WLS which shows the double standards of Assam forest authorities. The large numbers of cattle from Miriyakal cattle sheds are let loose openly to graze deep inside the D. Ering WLS thereby degrading the healthy grasslands of the sanctuary. Some people from Assam are also seen claiming lands near the Anchalghat Wildlife Range office crossing over the age old boundary of Assam-Arunachal boundary near Assam Social Forestry (Nursery) areas where stand-off are still there between Anchalghat Range, D. Ering WLS officials and people from Assam in the name of some Assam based organizations. 
Now, along with Ering, other wildlife activists and pro-conservation teams from Arunachal and Assam are also hoping that the Assam and Arunachal chief ministers will shortly resolve the issue for the larger conservation purposes in the region, as Assam government has also announced to declare Poba Forest range (in the south just opposite D. Ering WLS) as Poba Wildlife Sanctuary during the August 2024 which is inter-located within D. Ering WLS and Dibru Saikhowa National Park. 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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