Assam Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah has ordered immediate ecological restoration and enhanced security measures in the Behali Reserve Forest after an inspection revealed extensive damage along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary.
Acting on the directions of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the minister visited the affected areas on July 16 with senior officials of the Forest Department, Assam Police and the civil administration to assess the extent of the destruction and review existing protection measures.
The inspection followed reports of large-scale forest damage allegedly caused by miscreants operating across the inter-state border. According to the state government, satellite imagery and drone surveys comparing conditions over the past six months showed that nearly 400 hectares of reserve forest had been encroached upon and extensively degraded.
During the visit, Mallabaruah inspected the affected locations, reviewed drone footage and examined the operational challenges faced by frontline forest personnel in safeguarding the reserve.
He directed the Ecological Task Force to immediately begin plantation and ecological restoration work in coordination with the Forest Department to regenerate the damaged forest areas.
The minister also ordered the strengthening of forest protection infrastructure by upgrading existing forest camps, improving roads leading to vulnerable locations and constructing an additional access road to facilitate faster deployment of personnel. He noted that inadequate road connectivity had hampered timely intervention, allowing illegal activities to continue.
To reinforce security, Mallabaruah instructed the Assam Police and the Forest Battalion to maintain continuous surveillance in vulnerable areas and establish additional camps wherever forest destruction has been reported.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to protecting forest resources, the minister said illegal destruction of reserve forests would not be tolerated and assured forest personnel of full government support in carrying out their duties. Responding to concerns raised by field staff, he urged them to perform their responsibilities with confidence despite operational challenges, adding that recent public statements had adversely affected the morale of forest officials and Forest Battalion personnel.
Referring to the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary issue, Mallabaruah said political and administrative mechanisms already exist to resolve border disputes, but stressed that such disputes cannot justify the destruction of forests. He also noted that the Gauhati High Court has made it clear that environmental damage cannot be defended on the basis of a boundary dispute.
The minister directed officials to initiate legal action in all cases involving unlawful encroachment, trespass or destruction of forest land within Assam’s jurisdiction. He said restoration work, infrastructure improvements and additional security deployment would begin immediately to prevent further encroachment and strengthen the protection of the Behali Reserve Forest.
