GOLAGHAT, AUGUST 10 (MExN): The verification of rhino horns, stored in various treasuries of Assam since 1980, will start from August 11. The verification includes checking genuineness besides updating the complete inventory of rhino horns in the custody of Assam Government, according to a press release received here.
The first treasury to be opened is Golaghat, which has the highest number of rhino horns stored in government custody. Almost all these rhino horns are of Kaziranga National Park. The Rhino Horn Verification Committee under the Chairmanship of the former Assam State Information Commissioner Mohan Chandra Malakar, IFS assembled today at Golaghat for the process, which will start at 10:00 am on August 11 in a secured room inside the Golaghat Circuit House.
The 12-member committee has four wildlife experts, two representatives from media, one RTl activist, one forensic scientist beside four high officials of Assam Forest Department.
The trunks containing the Rhino Horns will be carried in batches from the Treasury to the Golaghat Circuit House under heavy security, the release said. Special security arrangements have been made by the District Authorities in this regard, both for the transportation as well as during the verification process.
The trunks will be opened only in front of those Forest officials, who had actually signed and sealed at the time of depositing the trunks, to check the genuineness of the trunk. The release noted that every trunk, containing rhino horns, was sealed in presence of four to five forest officials before it was deposited in the Treasury.
Efforts will be made to open any trunk in presence of maximum possible signatories who would have to authenticate that the trunk was genuine and the seal on the trunk was intact, it was stated. Strict protocol has been formulated to fix responsibility in case of any unwarranted development.
Only after the authentication, the trunk will be opened and horns will be examined initially physically. Any suspicion by any member will be given due importance and the particular horn will be referred to the experts of the State Forensic Laboratory, the press release said. The Forensic experts have also set up a field lab at the Golaghat Circuit House for scientific verification.
The entire process will be live streamed for transparency, as secured room will be out of bound for all except the committee members, and there will be two regular media briefings during the course of the day. The first one will be at 11:00 am and the next will be at 5:00 pm.
The committee will visit every treasury of Assam where the horns are stored and are expected to file the report within 60 days. The rhino horns are scattered in 12 treasuries of Assam, maximum being in Golaghat followed by Nagaon, Guwahati and Tezpur.
