Guwahati (The Stellar News): Patriotic People’s Front Assam(PPFA) supports the initiative to dispose of wildlife parts including therhinoceros-horns, kept in State treasuries for decades, but it demands full transparencyin the process. The forum of nationalist citizens urged State chief ministerHimanta Biswa Sarma to ensure that only the certified genuine horns are burntin presence of distinguished personalities in full public view. It may be mentioned that the State cabinet recentlyresolved to destroy 2,479 rhino horns, out of 2,623 horns stored in various treasuries.The State forest and environment department has already conducted the verificationprocess to identify probable fake horns among the real ones in 12 treasuriesacross Assam as allegations flouted that a section of corrupt forest officialswould destroy those fake horns and later smuggle those into internationalmarkets. Earlier the Dhaka based Asia-Pacific Forumof Environmental Journalists welcomed the initiative to speared the messagethat rhino horns do not carry any aphrodisiac quality, for which the giganticanimals are poached across the world, but it also put forward a condition thatthose must be scientifically confirmed as real ones. It highlighted that thehorns could fetch a million dollar in illegal markets spread across east Asiaand hence the issue should be resolved
amicably.
Years back, northeast India’s activeconservation group Nature’s Beckon claimed that the State forest department usedto sell rhino horns even after India adopted the wildlife protection act in1972. The department allegedly sold 13 horns during 1972-73, 19 in 1973-74, 40(1974-75), 18 (1975-76), 27 (1976-78),42 (1977-78), 63 (1978-79), 63 (1978-79),61 (1979-80), etc. The group asserted a large share of wildlife parts from the department’sstocks were sold in international markets. “We expect only the scientifically provedrhino horns are disposed in presence of wildlife experts, environmententhusiasts, eminent personalities from various other field of activities,”said a PPFA statement adding that the process must not give an ample scope forcorrupt officials to illegally sell the syphoned away horns from the consignmentfor their personal gains. Moreover, it added, the government should not hurryfor the process certainly to avoid any post-event controversy.
