Assam Govt Prepares to Lay 'Double Track' through the 'Deepor Beel'

Guwahati, June 27, 2019:

If concerned locals are to be believed, the Assam administration is one step closer to building a second railway line through the 'Deepor Beel', which is one of the most ecologically important zones in all of the Northeast.

This has caused hue-and-cry among locals who have seen the 'Deepor Beel', the sacred wetland, turning into a wasteland due to dumping of industrial wastes, encroachment, and many other issues.

Pramod Kalita, a local environmentalist took to social media platform Facebook to raise an alarm. In a video posted on Facebook, he said: "Today, Railway department, forest department, revenue department, SDO, APDCL, etc jointly conducted a survey to construct the second track, and we have expressed our opposition to that, we have even sent memorandum to the Chief Minister. In spite of that, they have not heeded us", he laments.

Speaking to Inside Northeast, Kalita said that they officials have taken directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), but stated that the locals are protesting the move to construct the double-track.

The Government's move has also drawn the condemnation of Paul Keil, an Australian researcher. Keil has written: "A second track will increase the number of trains passing through the area. This increase will dramatically reduce the time available for an elephant to access the wetland. It will limit opportunities to cross, make the passage riskier, and heighten the pressure on escorts to coordinate herd movement with the arrival of a train. A second track also increases the level of risk if the system breaks down. Elephants are silent and clever – what if they suddenly appear without giving notice? What if there is no mobile reception to send an alert in time?"

It may be mentioned that at least fourteen pachyderms have died ever since the first track was laid through the wetland.

Inside Northeast’s Campaign #LetsSaveDeeporBeel is now supported by Oil India Limited (OIL). Join us as we continue the awareness campaign to preserve the only Ramsar site in Assam which is facing immense threats. We need your held to preserve this site of great ecological importance. Join the #LetsSaveDeeporBeel campaign and tweet about it, and do tag us on Twitter. Let’s make some noise!