GUWAHATI:
A probe panel, which was constituted by the Assam government two months ago, visited Assam Don Bosco University (ADBU) at Tepesia under Sonapur Revenue Circle in Kamrup Metro district on July 26 to examine the alleged land grabbing case against the varsity.
The state government had on May 26 constituted a three-member committee headed by additional chief secretary Paban Barthakur to probe into the matter in view of the suicide of an entrepreneur and the land grabbing case surrounding his death. The committee was asked to enquire whether the allegations are true and if so, to suggest means to recover the land.
ADBU had been accused of encroaching on more than 800 bighas of land of Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary for setting up various projects of the varsity. The varsity also allegedly blocked the elephant corridor by constructing various buildings on the campus.
During a drone survey, the state forest department found some anomalies to the boundary of the university which was said to be more than the land allotted to it.
The state forest department also lodged an FIR on May 7 with Sonapur Police Station against ADBU authorities for allegedly cutting a hill and constructing a dam covering an area of 384 sq metres, which in turn blocked the natural water channel originating from Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary.
“The university authority has failed to produce any permission from the government authority to destroy the Eco-Sensitive Zone of the Wild Life Sanctuary,” Pranjal Baruah, range officer Guwahati Forest Range, wrote in the FIR.
The FIR also mentioned that the forest department seized land amounting to 3,840 sq metres from the university campus.
The probe panel, which visited ADBU campus, was headed by principal secretary (revenue) GD Tripathi, Kamrup Metro deputy commissioner Pallab Gopal Jha, Guwahati Wildlife Division DFO Jayshree Niding and Sonapur circle officer Gopal Sarma and Sonapur ACP Sukanya Das.