HT Correspondent
KOKRAJHAR, June 6: In a major boost to environmental conservation and eco-tourism in Assam, the Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park (SJNP) was officially inaugurated on Thursday in the Haltugaon Forest Division of Kokrajhar district. The event coincided with the celebration of World Environment Day 2025.
The inauguration ceremony was led by Assam Cabinet Minister Urkhao Gwra Brahma in the presence of Pramod Boro, Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). Other dignitaries present included Lok Sabha MP Joyanta Basumatary, MLA Lawrence Islary, BTR Executive Members Ranjit Basumatary and Dhananjay Basumatary, and senior officials from the Forest Department and BTR government.
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The ceremony, held at the Dighli Forest Camp Complex, was attended by local residents, students, forest officials, and environmental enthusiasts. As part of the celebrations, Minister Brahma also inaugurated a Butterfly Museum-cum-Conservation & Research Centre at Ultapani, near the India-Bhutan border. This centre aims to promote research, education, and conservation of the diverse butterfly species native to the region.
CEM Pramod Boro marked the occasion with a sapling plantation drive within the Dighli forest area and earlier at the Kokrajhar Medical College and Hospital (KMCH), where he was joined by Minister Brahma, BTC Legislative Assembly Speaker Katiram Boro, and others.
Speaking on the occasion, CEM Pramod Boro lauded the launch of Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park as a significant milestone for the region:
“I’m delighted to attend the inaugural ceremony of Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park, the newest jewel in BTR’s crown. Home to an incredible diversity of flora and fauna, the park will serve as a vital sanctuary for wildlife, support ecological balance, and foster eco-tourism that benefits local communities,” he said.
Boro also highlighted that the BTR has become a key hotspot for nature-based tourism, with over one lakh tourists recorded in the region’s national parks.
The addition of Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park is expected to significantly contribute to conservation, biodiversity protection, and livelihood generation through eco-tourism in Bodoland.
