Guwahati zoo breeds endangered storks
Guwahati Zoo and wildlife NGO Aaranyak have successfully bred a pair of Greater Adjutant Stork chicks in an artificial platform within the zoo enclosure. “We are proud to share this news. This happened for the first time in a zoo. Before this we don’t have any report that this endangered bird has bred in any zoo or any captivity,” divisional forest officer Tejas Mariswamy said greeting journalists on New Year. This rare stork, the Hargilla, is currently on the brink of extinction due to loss of its habitat caused by indiscriminate felling of big trees and dwindling wetlands. Biologist Dr Purnima Devi Barman of Aaranyak has been working tirelessly for the past several years for the conservation of the bird.
Sanjay Krishna new chief secretary
Kumar Sanjay Krishna is Assam’s new chief secretary. Known for his leadership qualities, Krishna has experience in serving the central government on deputation. He hails from Upper Assam’s Jorhat. “Within the limitations of the Constitution, I will work for peace, prosperity and development of the state. Naturally, there will be problems but there is no problem which cannot be resolved peacefully through dialogues,” the 1985 batch IAS officer of Assam- Meghalaya cadre said after taking charge. His appointment came at a time when people are staging widespread protests against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act which seeks to grant citizenship to “persecuted” non-Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Evict non-tribals from tribal belts: HC
In an order that may have far-reaching consequences, the Gauhati High Court has directed the deputy commissioners of some districts and the principal secretary of autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council, which administers four districts, to evict all non-tribals and persons “not eligible to hold possession of land” in tribal belts and blocks that are protected under Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act, 1886, and fall under their jurisdiction. In the order passed last week, the HC directed the mandarins to submit affidavits by February 3 on the actions taken on the eviction.
IIT develops materials that produce energy
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-Guwahati) have developed materials that can produce energy from water, on a small scale. The IIT-Guwahati said these new ways of producing energy could be employed in household environments to support the concept of decentralization of energy sources. “The decentralized energy model introduces a large number of small generation devices that can be employed to generate in every household. The excess energy produced can be transported to nearby areas,” the IIT-Guwahati said.