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Assam orders judicial probe into illegal coal mining in Dehing Patkai
Why is it in news?
- Assam government set up one-man inquiry panel comprising retired Gauhati High Court Judge Brajendra Prasad Katakey to investigate the allegations against coal mining in the sanctuary since 2003.
Details:
- Controversy was created due to conditional clearance by the National Board of Wildlife’s (NBWL) to a coal mining project by Coal India Limited.
- Dehangi Patkai:
(1) The Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary and a part of Dehing Patkai Rainforest is important due to elephant habitat.
(2) It was declared as Dehing-Patkai Elephant Reserve under Project Elephant.
(3) Reserve spreads across the coal- and oil-rich districts of Upper Assam — Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Sivasagar.
(4) It is believed to be the last remaining contiguous patch of lowland rainforest area in Assam.
(5) Recently, Assam announced decision to upgrade the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary to a national park.
(6) The most common mammal species of this sanctuary are hoolock gibbon, stump-tailed macaque, Asian elephant, Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, Chinese pangolin, Red giant flying squirrel, Asian golden cat.