The Dehing Patkai which has been accorded as the 7th National Park of Assam situated in Dibrugarh district is in a dilapidated condition due to its poor infrastructure. The forest minister Parimal Suklabaidya who recently inaugurated the Dehing Patkai National Park said that the rich floral and faunal diversity of the park well known for its rainforest will soon attain the stature of one of the best national parks in the country is in a condition that it is far away from becoming the best park.
In the Saraipung range, the number of forest guards is less and no sufficient arms and ammunitions have been provided in order to protect and secure the animals from the poachers.
According to sources, there is not even a car in the range for the guards so that they could round up for the protection of the animals.
The roads are in a dilapidated condition and therefore the footfalls of tourists are much less compared to other national parks.
The forest minister during its inauguration also said that Assam is blessed with nature's bounty and lauded the people of the state for taking steps towards the conservation of nature.
"The government would take necessary steps for infrastructure development of the park to attract tourists. Vista of opportunities for the unemployed youths will be opened up soon," said Suklabaidya but till date no action has been taken to develop the park.
It may be mentioned the Dehing Patkai National Park which falls under the Jeypore range and Soraipung range of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts is home to elephants, hoolock gibbons, golden cat, clouded leopard and other animals but if the infrastructure won't be developed by the government then there is no worth that it has been upgraded to a National Park.
It was declared a wildlife sanctuary on June 13, 2004. On December 13, 2020, the Government of Assam upgraded it into a national park. On June 9, 2021, the Forest Department of Assam officially notified it as a national park. It is located in the Dehing patkai landscape which is a dipterocarp-dominated lowland rainforest. The rainforest stretches for more than 575 km2 (222 sq mi) in the districts of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, and Charaideo. The forest further spreads over in the Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh. The Dehing Patkai forms the largest stretch of lowland rainforests in India. The Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as Dehing-Patkai Elephant Reserve under Project Elephant.
Dehing Patkai rainforest harbours about 293 bird species, belonging to 174 genera and 51 families. The majority is resident (63.7%), some are winter visitors (23.1% ), and very few are summer visitors (2.5%). About 10.7% are altitudinal migrants, coming mainly from the higher reaches of the western, central, and eastern Himalayas. Avifauna includes slender-billed vulture, white-winged duck, greater adjutant, lesser adjutant, greater spotted eagle, yellow-vented warbler, broad-billed warbler, white-naped yuhina, white-cheeked partridge, great hornbill, brown hornbill, Oriental darter, osprey, kalij pheasant, grey peacock pheasant, besra, black baza, and hill myna.
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