Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has ordered a probe into the death of nearly 250 cattle egrets at Tangla in Udalguri district in lower Assam.
Chief Minister Sarma directed forest and environment minister Parimal Suklabaidya to enquire into the matter.
The cattle egrets died after the Tangla Municipal Board ordered to clear the bamboo groves inhabiting the birds in private lands in Tangla town of Udalguri district on Thursday.
District administration visited the site and ordered the municipal authorities to stop further cutting of bamboo groves and submit a report regarding the incident.
A show-cause notice was served under Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 and COVID regulations 2020 for spreading misinformation and creating fear among locals regarding spread of COVID19.
An FIR has been lodged by the forest department under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1972.
The bamboo grooves were cleared based on public complaints of foul smell and odour from the dripping of the birds that allegedly created an unhygienic condition.
However, the act of clearing of the bamboo groves, which resulted in the death of hundreds of cattle egrets has drawn sharp criticisms from the environmentalists and bird lovers.
