Nine years after eviction bloodshed, Bandordubi is teeming with rhinos, birds

Guwahati, August 26: Nine years after a major eviction drive in Bandordubi, under Kaliabor sub-division of Nagaon district, the area adjoining National Highway 37 near Kaziranga National Park has reverted to its natural state, with wild animals now freely grazing across the fields.

Field Director of Kaziranga National Park, Sonali Ghosh, on Tuesday, said the transformation of Bandordubi illustrates how quickly nature revives once human pressure is reduced.

“The more we minimise human footprints in forest areas, the more they liven up. Assam has fertile soil and abundant rainfall, and if human intervention is curtailed, nature flourishes on its own. Bandordubi is the best example,” Ghosh said.

She noted that reviving the cleared land posed significant challenges. Park staff worked tirelessly through 2017 and 2018 to restore the habitat, which has since flourished.

“If you look at Bandordubi now, you will spot rhinos almost every day. Avian varieties, especially migratory birds, have also increased as the area has many water bodies. The grasslands too have become lush green,” she added.

The eviction drive of September 2016, however, was marked by violence. Two people were killed and five others injured when police opened fire to disperse protesters demanding compensation before relocation.

The then Director General of Police, Mukesh Sahay, had maintained that the eviction was conducted in compliance with a Gauhati High Court order. “A section of the settlers were instigated by some people, leading to the situation,” he had said.

The area of Bandordubi and Deosur cleared from encroachment in 2016 were formally handed over to Kaziranga National Park authority in 2020.