A Rengkoka volunteer replanting orchids.LOHARGHAT (KAMRUP): Hundreds of rare and exotic varieties of orchids have been crushed under the wheels of bulldozers as Rabha tribals watched speechless the destruction of biodiversity in the name of development in this eco-sensitive tribal zone .
Hundreds of trees were felled to boost road connectivity under the state government’s ambitious Asom Mala scheme earlier this month.But in the 10-km stretch from Loharghat to Muduki, leading to tourist hotspot Chandubi Lake, more than the trees, the blatant destruction of the orchids has drawn the attention of nature lovers.
The volunteers of Rengkoka, an organization for the preservation of nature and avians, silently collected the orchids that had fallen on the ground, while the priceless logs were reportedly carted away by the contractor who had won the bid for the project to widen the road, which is expected to reduce travel time from Mirza to the scenic natural lake in the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council at the foothills of the Meghalaya hills, surrounded by Assam and Meghalaya.“We could replant only about 30-40% of the orchids.
For them, they were just garbage,” said Matiram Rabha, head of Rengkoka, and an award-winning bamboo craftsman from the area.
The Rengkoka volunteers
Some of the prized orchid varieties recovered include Eria lasiopetala, Bulbophyllum crassipes, Dendrobium moscatum and Pinalia bractescens.
Coelogyne trinervis, Pelatantheria insectifera and Aerides multiflora are rare to find, said orchid conservationist Ankur Raj Gogoi.
“The loss is irreparable.
The forest department should have drawn a plan to save the orchids.Aerides multiflora grows mostly on big roadside trees and is endemic to lower Assam.This variety has been widely damaged,” said Gogoi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation of Asom Mala before the last assembly polls.State highways, major district roads and roads with economic importance are being upgraded under the project.
Rengkoka’s efforts to save some of the species had initially attracted youths from Mirza and Dudhnoi in Goalpara district when the project got under way earlier this month.The forest department woke up late and tried to save some of the orchids, which got a fresh lease of life in the recent spell of rain that lashed the area.
“After I joined the Loharghat range office recently, we planted some orchids in Rani Social Forestry, Boko Social Forestry and the office campus at Loharghat forest office.We gave some to Rabha students to replant these around the lake,” said range officer Shamim Akhter.
Forest department sources added that the destruction of biodiversity may continue till the government revises the policy of allowing private contractors to fell trees.
“Earlier, trees would be axed by the forest department without endangering the biodiversity.But ever since the new rules came into existence, contractors are winning bids online and axing trees and allegedly destroying biodiversity,” a forest official said.
The range officer however said that a decision has been taken to deploy forest officials in the area to monitor the exercise of felling trees.
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