FIR against Patanjali food park builder

The Assam Forest Department on Friday filed an FIR against the builder of Patanjali Mega Herbal and Food Park in Sonitpur district for negligence that lead to the death of a wild elephant.

Jasim Ahmed, additional conservator of the forest, said the FIR was lodged at Salanibari police outpost under Tezpur police station.

He said the case was filed against the park’s builder, Uday Goswami, who is also the coordinator of the Patanjali Park at Ghoramari Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) complex.

There were more than 14 open pits and some of them were filled up with earth after Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma visited the site following the death of an adult female elephant on Friday, said Mr. Ahmed.

Regarding Mr. Goswami’s assurance of erecting a low-voltage solar-powered fence at the site, the Forest official said such a fence needed to be checked by the specialists of the Forest Department and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) before being put in place.

The Forest Minister has instructed the builder to keep half of the over-200-acre land free from construction through which the elephants could move.