Assam rainforest Dihing Patkai upgraded to national park

Dihing Patkai National Park is a contiguous stretch of forests, starting from Upper Dihing Reserve Forest in Tinsukia district to Jeypore rainforest in Dibrugarh district

The Assam government on Wednesday declared Dihing Patkai as the state's seventh national park.

Forest minister Parimal Suklabaidya said the initial notification for the same was issued on December 1 last year and the final notification for the 234.26-km national park was issued today.

This pushes Assam to the third spot in the list of states/UTs with maximum number of national parks, after Madhya Pradesh and Andaman. Madhya Pradesh has 12 national parks while Andaman has nine, at present.

"This is a very significant development as Dihing Patkai has the last stretch of Assam Valley Tropical Wet Evergreen, which is popularly called as Dihing Patkai rainforest. Apart from the pristine rainforest, Dihing Patkai has 47 species of mammals, 47 reptiles, 310 butterfly species and 398 plant species," Suklabaidya said. The park has golden langurs, Asian elephants, leopards, besides many species of birds and reptiles.

Assam on June 5 named 422-sq-km Raimona in western Assam's Bodoland as the sixth national park. Kaziranga, Manas, Orang, Nameri and Dibru Saikhowa are the five other national parks in the state.

Dihing Patkai National Park is a contiguous stretch of forests starting from Upper Dihing Reserve Forest in Tinsukia district to the Jeypore rainforest in Dibrugarh district.

"This will help in better conservation of forests and wildlife and, at the same time, promote tourism," Suklabaidya said. "For intensive patrolling and conservation of the new area, additional anti-poaching camps and manpower is being provided by the government," he said.