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A two-kilometer-long solar-powered fence has been energized at Lahapara revenue village in Assam's Goalpara district and handed over to the local community in order to secure the lives and property of about 450 villagers from 70 households of the dominant Rabha tribe community in a human-elephant conflict (HEC) situation.
The Lahapara village is situated under the Lakhipur circle of the Goalpara district, which is within a HEC hotspot zone. Recently, the Range officer of Lakhipur Range, Dharmendra Das, inaugurated the fence, cutting the ceremonial ribbon in the presence of around 80 people, including women. The meeting for the occasion was organized by the village community led by Bankim Rabha of Lahapara village and presided over by the village Headman Jasawanta Rabha. The local community of Lahapara village felicitated the Aaranyak team and Lakhipur forest range office staff involved in the installation of the stretch of solar fence. The Lakhipur Range officer Dharmendra Das and Forester, Dhon Chandra Doloi, addressed the community members, focusing on the joint effort of Aaranyak, the Forest Department and the local community to mitigate the raging HEC situation. The Range Officer also talked about the plantation of trees, including bamboo, to improve the habitat of elephants. Aaranyaks official Anjan Baruah talked on the functioning and maintenance of the solar fence meant for mitigating the HEC and facilitating coexistence. He also referred to lemon bio-fence for a long-term solution to HEC. The Aaranyak team, comprising Swapan Das, Ripunjoy Nath, Bijoy Kalita and Rahit Nath, worked tirelessly in the field with Forest Department staff and local community members in the process of the installation of the solar fence. An MoU was signed among the local community of Lahapara, Range officer, the Lakhipur Forest Range and the Aaranyak team before formally handing over the solar fence to the solar fence management committee and local villagers. (ANI)
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