Burglary at Borail Eco Camp; Intentional attempt to sabotage successful innovation, will reopen on Jan 8: Cachar DFO

Borail Eco Camp – an eco-tourism hub initiated by the Cachar Forest Department at the foothills of Borail Mountain within the Borail Wildlife Sanctuary has become an instant hit among the urban population of Barak Valley. People of Barak Valley’s town area, otherwise cramped for room in the concrete jungle find peace amidst nature and that is why, the footfall at the camp has witnessed a steady growth.

It is run by the local community primarily – the Khasi population. As Christmas and New Year’s are sacred to the local community, the management notified that the camp will remain shut till January 2, 2023. However, certain miscreants barged into the camp and robbed a few closets. Some were set ablaze too.

“This is an attempt to sabotage a successfully running initiative,” reacted Cachar DFO, Tejas Mariswamy. Since this has happened within the jurisdiction of the Wildlife Sanctuary, it has been deemed as a forest offense and adequate measures have been taken. “The investigation is going on. Instead of January 2, the Borail Eco Camp will now open for public on January 8,” asserted the DFO.

It is believed that burglars first entered the camp and robbed items like camping tents and other and then they set the bamboo rooms on fire. Officials in the department feel this has been done to spread some negative word of mouth about the innovation as the community-run initiative has started to fetch significant month-on-month revenue.

To avoid any such development, the DFO has instructed the officials to have more stringent security measures in place. The officials are now chalking out a plan to install security cameras and implement other measures to ensure safety of tourists as well as the items.

“The camp is safe and it will open again on January 8. This has been done by some miscreants with the purpose of sabotaging the initiative. The matter is under investigation and actions will be taken as per law. As far as the camp is in concern, it will operate like it used to and we will continue to make it better,” DFO Tejas Mariswamy reiterated.

The damaged reception office is being rebuilt and the officials are estimating the loss caused by the sabotage. The local community is upbeat about restarting the camp by January 8 and believes that people will continue to visit in large numbers.