President Murmu in Assam, stresses on ecological justice, protecting elephants

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday stressed on ecological justice and efforts to protect elephants, the national heritage animal, while addressing two functions in Assam.

On Friday morning, Murmu inaugurated the Gaj Utsav 2023 (Elephant festival) at Kaziranga National Park. In the afternoon, the President addressed the platinum jubilee celebrations of Gauhati High Court and flagged off the Mount Kanchenjunga Expedition, in Guwahati.

"The culture of respecting nature has been the identity of our country. In India, nature and culture have been linked to each other and have been receiving nourishment from each other. Elephants have been most respected in our tradition. It has been considered a symbol of prosperity. It is the National Heritage Animal of India. Therefore, protecting elephants is an important part of our national responsibility to preserve our national heritage," Murmu said after inaugurating the Gaj Utsav at Kaziranga.

Also Read: Man vs wild: How to curb conflicts

With over 5,000 Asian elephants, Assam houses the second highest number of wild jumbos in the country, after Karnataka. But human-elephant conflict has become a serious issue over the years.

The President said humans are responsible for such conflicts as natural habitats and corridors have been blocked. "Therefore, the responsibility of this conflict lies with the human society. Protecting elephants, conserving their natural habitats and keeping elephant corridors free from obstruction are the main objectives of Project Elephant. Solving the problems related to human-elephant conflict is also the aim of this project,"

Ecological justice:

Addressing the platinum jubilee celebrations of Gauhati High Court on Friday evening, the President stressed on ecological justice. "Environmental degradation has led to great injustice to many communities around the world. In fact, we need to be sensitive to other species as well as towards the whole ecology, because humankind as a whole has done unprecedented damage, that is, injustice to the other members of Mother Nature’s family. Working towards ecological justice can take many forms, and the legal fraternity, I am sure, will also make meaningful contributions to it."

Murmu also praised the role played by Gauhati High Court in justice delivery in the Northeast where diverse communities have been living peacefully historically. "In such a region, institutions need to have a great deal of sensitivity and responsibility, as divergent traditions and laws govern the lives of the people of the region. The indigenous people of the hill areas prefer conciliatory processes rather than somewhat adversarial systems. Some of the customary practices for dispute resolution prevalent here are not only expeditious, they are also highly effective. The legislations applicable to different areas may vary, but the entire area is administered by a common High Court," Murmu said.

Talking about justice, the President said justice has to be inclusive and accessible for all. Murmu stressed on use of technology and innovations in order to ensure inclusive justice.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union law minister Kiren Rijiju, besides several other prominent persons attended the Gauhati High Court celebrations.