Outrage Erupts: Centre’s Controversial Approval for Oil & Gas Drilling in Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary Ignites Nationwide Protests
Protests Mount Against Oil Drilling in Hollongapar Sanctuary
Jorhat, Sept 19: Opposition is intensifying against the Centre’s recent approval for oil and gas drilling in the eco-sensitive zone of the Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary. Various organizations, environmental activists, and student bodies have raised serious concerns.
Most recently, the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), a farmers’ organization affiliated with Raijor Dal, staged a protest near Mariani Police Station on Thursday. The group demanded the withdrawal of the Centre’s "in-principle" approval for drilling activities by Vedanta’s Cairn Oil and Gas Company. “This decision reflects a lack of constructive vision for the future. The sanctuary, home to endangered Hoolock gibbons, 215 bird species, elephants, and tigers, faces irreversible damage,” said KMSS Jorhat unit secretary, Bitupan Saikia.
Protesters, equipped with placards and banners, chanted slogans against both state and Central governments. On September 5, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) also voiced strong opposition, threatening a joint public-supported agitation if the decision isn’t reversed.
This comes after the Union Environment Ministry granted the "in-principle" approval for oil drilling in the sanctuary’s eco-sensitive zone on September 15. The approval allows approximately 4.50 hectares of sanctuary land to be diverted for oil exploration by Vedanta Group, as recorded in the August 27 meeting minutes published on the Parivesh portal.
The Assam Forest Department had earlier assured that drilling would occur 13 km away from the sanctuary boundary and claimed minimal environmental impact with no significant infrastructure development and only about 25 trees to be felled. However, residents and activists interpret these assurances as inadequate.
As the Centre presses forward with the project, public skepticism grows, regarding these promises merely as fleeting assurances amidst looming ecological threats.
Original Story https://assamtribune.com/assam/protests-grow-over-centres-approval-for-oil-gas-drilling-in-hollongapar-gibbon-sanctuary-1551952
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