Environment body for action against selling of wildlife information

Guwahati, May 7 (UNI) Environment activist group of the North East, Nature's Beckon, today demanded immediate action against Dr Anwaruddin Choudhury for allegedly selling vital wildlife information of the region to foreign agencies without formal permission.

Addressing reporters here, Nature's Beckon director Soumyadeep Datta said repeated reminders to the state forest department seeking their stand on the issue fell on deaf ears.

The environment conservation group had alleged that Dr Choudhury, now the DC of Baksa district of Asom, had passed off vital information pertaining to the forests and wildlife of NE to UK-based Mammal Society, which now claims absolute right over the data.

Nature's Beckon's representatives had formally informed the state forest department regarding this on December 2, 2004. It had since then sent three reminders but was yet to receive any response from the government, Mr Datta said.

Mr Datta, quoting from an article by Dr Choudhury in bimonthly journal 'Ishani' in March, 2005, published by the Mahatma Gandhi Ishani Foundation, alleged that the latter was spreading false impressions about the region in other parts of the country.

Pointing out Dr Choudhury claim in the article that 19 rhinos were killed in 1993 due to All Assam Students Union (AASU) agitation, Mr Datta said his group failed to see the connection between rhino poaching and AASU and opposed implicating the AASU in the matter.

Referring to another section of the same article, he said Dr Choudhury had branded the indigenous people of the state as "poachers".

Dr Choudhury had written in the article, a copy of which was made available to the press, ''Actual poaching is done mostly by...Misings, Bodos, Paites, Karbis, Nagas, immigrants and Nepalis while arms are mainly provided by the Nagas.'' Mr Datta flayed Dr Choudhury for this ''utterly irresponsible statement'' and alleged that "he wanted to conceal the Bangladeshis by referring them to as immigrants".

He appealed to the government to institute an enquiry into the matter at the earliest.

He also claimed that Dr Choudhury had been harassing Nature's Beckon's activists using his official position for bringing the charges against him.

UNI SG TJP RD 1247