ES Reporter 

ITANAGAR, Jun 8 :  The Yobin Welfare Society (YWS) has raised allegations against the Department of Forest, Miao Division, accusing them of illegally encroaching upon community land under the pretext of Namdapha National Park (NNP) and Tiger Reserve. The society is calling for government intervention to address the long-standing boundary dispute between the Forest Department and the Yobin community.
President of YWS, Ngwazosa Yobin addressing the media, claimed that the Forest Department has encroached beyond the designated boundary for NNP and Tiger Reserve on to community land. According to the agreement, the boundary of Namdapha National Park is limited to Burma Nalah, which spans up to 40 miles. However, without the consent of local villagers, the department has occupied an area extending up to 80 miles. This encroachment would bring at least eight Yobin villages under the purview of the NNP and Tiger Reserve, said the President YWS.
Furthermore, he alleged that the recent violence in the Burma Nalah (40 Mile) area was a result of the illegal construction by the Forest Department. He clarified that the Yobin Community is not against any officers or the Minister for Environment and Forest, but are against the officials responsible for the management of NNP and the Tiger Reserve.
President YWS further alleged that Forest officials within the NNP are engaged in illegal logging. Instead of taking action against them, the Department is said to be harassing villagers. The Yobin Community asserts that the designated land for the park is safe and protected and that they have a genuine interest in preserving wildlife and biodiversity for future generations. However, they emphasized that they cannot relinquish all of their traditional land solely for the purpose of wildlife conservation.
In an appeal to the concerned authorities, President YWS requested that no action be taken against the villagers involved in the violence in Burma Nalah on June 5 last. He clarified that the incident occurred outside the jurisdiction of Namdapha National Park due to the illegal establishment of  a Forest Base Camp by forcefully evicting the Adedi villagers without their consent. He further condemned such unwarranted actions, which have caused insecurity, property loss, and jeopardized livelihoods.
The Yobin Welfare Society also urged the authorities to replace the Field Director and Range Forest Officer (Gandhigram Range) with competent and pro-people officers who prioritize wildlife conservation.

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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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