GUWAHATI:
As part of its sustained efforts to sensitise border guarding forces in the frontier states of the Northeast, an orientation workshop was conducted by biodiversity conservation organization Aaranyak for Sashatra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel at Darranga Border Outpost (BOP) on India-Bhutan border in Tamulpur.
Forty SSB men and women deployed at various SSB BOPs across the Manas landscape in Assam bordering Bhutan attended the workshop on January 16.
They were sensitized to the alarming dimension of burgeoning wildlife crime and vulnerability of the frontier region where border guarding forces have to shoulder added responsibility of guarding against cross-border illegal trade in wildlife parts.
The Aaranyak’s team of resource persons, comprising senior manager Dr Jimmy Borah and project officer and analyst Ivy Farheen Hussain from its legal and advocacy division (LAD), through their presentations apprised the participating SSB personnel on various aspects of preventing wildlife crime and its impacts on the national security.
While Dr Jimmy Borah enlightened the participants on Aaranyak as an organization and its works/ programmes for the conservation of nature and creation of synergy amongst various stakeholders in the prevention of wildlife crimes, Ivy Farheen Hussain through her presentation highlighted common types of modus operandi of criminals and various species involved in illegal wildlife trade from this region.
The deputy commandant of the 64th Battalion of the SSB, Prashanta Gautam who was present in the workshop, provided valued comments on the handling of wildlife products and information sharing during patrols for the quick action and successful apprehension of offenders.
The workshop was a part of a series of classes regularly organized by Aaranyak under the aegis of its LAD for sensitizing newly-recruited SSB cadres to be deployed in the Indo-Bhutan border areas on wildlife crime scenarios.
Manas landscape is Assam located along the India-Bhutan border is a biodiversity-rich area where Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve as well as Manas Biosphere Reserve are located beside Raimona National Park.
Sashastra Seema Bal was established as Special Service Bureau in May 1963, in the aftermath of the Chinese aggression (in 1962). Sashastra Seema Bal came under the aegis of the Ministry of Home Affairs (January 2001).
SSB was initially declared a Lead Intelligence Agency for Indo-Nepal (June 2001) and assigned to the Indo-Nepal border. Now it is deployed long the India-Bhutan frontier too.