Silchar: The diverse wildlife of Assam's Barak Valley may soon have a new address if a proposal by Silchar MP Rajdeep Roy for the creation of 'Barak Bhuban Wildlife Sanctuary' is accepted by the state government.
The sanctuary will be spread over an area of 320 sq km and will be situated between the Barak river and the Sonai river, Mr Roy told PTI on the sidelines of the sixth Northeast Green Summit here on Thursday.
Named after the second-largest river in the northeast, the Barak Valley is home to 550 species of birds and 100 species of mammals. It comprises three districts -- Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj.
If Mr Roy's proposal is accepted by the Assam government, the Barak Valley will get its second wildlife sanctuary.
"I got to hear from the experts who have come here for the last three days that there is a possibility of (creating) a sanctuary here that will be around 320 sq km. It lies between the main Barak river and one of its tributaries called the Sonai river," the BJP MP said.
This area is home to reptiles, a special species of baboons and a lot of other animals and can be converted into a sanctuary, Mr Roy said.
"I have given a proposal to our (Assam's) forest minister, who is an MLA from my constituency. It will go in the coming week. Let's see what the Assam government thinks of it because we are thinking very positively," he added.
The three-day Northeast Green Summit concluded on Thursday with experts from different fields making several recommendations for harnessing the economic potential of eco-services, biodiversity and wildlife conservation in the northeast region and using sustainable technologies in a post-Covid world.
The theme of this year's summit was 'Greening after COVID: Regional cooperation, Innovation and Entrepreneurship'.
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