SONAI RUPAI wildlife sanctuary seems to be only available landmass available to the Assam government – from a firing range set up by army, to polling stations and schools, everyone has encroached upon the sanctuary land. A perfect case of official apathy, it is also the victim of illegal encroachments of some tribals.

Sonitpur district administration vide its letter number, SSA/Sonit/CW/EGS/09-10/1928/Pt-I/479 dated 28/12/2011 to all DFOs of wild Life divisions of Dolabari, Sonitpur west Division, Tezpur and DFO Sonitpur east division sought permission for 68 EGS upgraded new school buildings, to be constructed during the year 2010-11 and 2011-12.

At present there are 37 school buildings functioning inside the Sonai -Rupai Wild Life Sanctuary. It has been observed that the wild life sanctuary consists of a total 220 sq km and for the construction of 68 new school buildings the government has to do away with at least 85 sq km of the sanctuary.

Coupled with insufficient forest protection force and infrastructure facilities, the forest department will be left to protect only 135 sq km of the sanctuary. Decrease in area would have an adverse impact on the wild life inside the sanctuary and it would mean even more trouble for the wild animals that were brought to the sanctuary from other national parks and Assam sanctuary.

Sonitpur district administration had established 27 polling stations during 2009 by-elections in the sanctuary while the number was increased to 37 polling stations in 2011 to facilitate the voters (encroaches, to be precise).

Meanwhile strong objections have been laid before the Election Commission Of India by Dilip Nath, a senior member of Aranya Surakha Samitee of Assam and the Election Commission Of India expressed its ignorance about any polling stations inside the sanctuary, in their reply.

The Sonai-Rupai Reserve Forest was declared a wildlife sanctuary by a gazetted notification on Oct 12 of 1998 and comprised a land area of 220 sq km within Sonitpur district of Assam.  According to electoral records, thirty thousand people live in 71 Dhekiajuli constituencies inside Sonai-Rupai Wild Life Sanctuary. Besides them, thousands of encroaches have already occupied the forest land and have been seeking inclusion of their names in the next electoral roll.

Forest Department has been spending at least 13 cores of rupees for maintenance of wild Life Sanctuaries funded by government of India. It was alleged that a large sum of money funded for the sanctuary was misappropriated in the name of preservation of reserve forest and wild life sanctuary.