Gaurav Gogoi calls for protection of Assam's Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary

Senior Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday urged Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav to prioritise the protection of Assam's Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, as a proposed oil and gas exploration project in the eco-sensitive zone has raised concerns. 

The sanctuary is home to a unique and irreplaceable ecosystem with the project's potential impact on it, including deforestation and pollution, being simply too great, he said. 

I am deeply concerned about the project in the eco-sensitive zone of the Sanctuary which is in my parliamentary constituency Jorhat, Gogoi said in a letter to Yadav. 

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I urge you to reconsider the Assam Wildlife Department's recommendation to grant forest clearance and reject any plans that would endanger the sanctuary or its inhabitants, he said. 

The sanctuary is a critical habitat for the endangered Hoolock Gibbon and the forest clearance granted is deeply troubling, said Gogoi, the Deputy Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha. 

The potential economic benefits of the project cannot come at the expense of natural heritage and endangered wildlife, he said. 

I implore you to prioritise the protection of this vital wildlife sanctuary and explore alternative solutions that do not harm the environment, Gogoi added.