July 13, 2020: Twitter has been stormed by “#IAmDehingPatkaia and #ProtectMeToo” – a nationwide initiative demanding wider area of Dehing Patkai to be upgraded to National Park. 
On July 6, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal informed that the government had decided to upgrade the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam to a National Park - amid the ongoing row over allowing coal mining within its jurisdiction.
It may be stated that a limited number of human activities are allowed in wildlife sanctuaries, national parks are strictly off-limits.
Following the announcement, questions have been raised by many regarding the status of Dehing Patkai landscape as a whole because the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary (DPWS) is only a part of it. The Dehing Patkai landscape besides DPWS comprises of three large blocks of forests namely - Jeypore, Upper Dehing West Block and Upper Dehing East Block along with several other Reserve Forest.
Since the government has not been clear about their stand on this, voices have been on the rise demanding the entire Dehing Patkai landscape to be protected and not just a fragment of it.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
July 13, 2020: Twitter has been stormed by “#IAmDehingPatkaia and #ProtectMeToo” – a nationwide initiative demanding wider area of Dehing Patkai to be upgraded to National Park.
July 13, 2020: Twitter has been stormed by “#IAmDehingPatkaia and #ProtectMeToo” – a nationwide initiative demanding wider area of Dehing Patkai to be upgraded to National Park.
On July 6, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal informed that the government had decided to upgrade the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam to a National Park - amid the ongoing row over allowing coal mining within its jurisdiction.
It may be stated that a limited number of human activities are allowed in wildlife sanctuaries, national parks are strictly off-limits.
Following the announcement, questions have been raised by many regarding the status of Dehing Patkai landscape as a whole because the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary (DPWS) is only a part of it. The Dehing Patkai landscape besides DPWS comprises of three large blocks of forests namely - Jeypore, Upper Dehing West Block and Upper Dehing East Block along with several other Reserve Forest.
Since the government has not been clear about their stand on this, voices have been on the rise demanding the entire Dehing Patkai landscape to be protected and not just a fragment of it.