Orang National Park is home to rhinos, tigers and other animals
After the Khel Ratna, now former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's name will be removed from a national park in Assam. On Wednesday, the Assam cabinet passed a resolution to rename Rajiv Gandhi National Park at Orang to Orang National Park. The park has one of highest density of Royal Bengal Tigers in the country.
The state government claims the decision has been taken after several organisation had approached the state government urging for a name change.
"Taking cognisance of the adivasi and tea tribe community's demands, cabinet has decided to rename Rajiv Gandhi National Park as Orang National Park," the government said in a statement.
The national park located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra in Darrang, Udalguri and Sonitpur districts is known for wild animals like Indian Rhinos, Royal Bengal Tiger, Pygmy Hog, wild elephant and wild water buffalo.
Covering an area of 79.28 sq km, the tiger reserve at Orang was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1985 and was upgraded to a national park in 1999.
A proposal to rename the wildlife sanctuary after Rajiv Gandhi was floated in 1992 but did not go through because of resistance. It was formally renamed the Rajiv Gandhi National Park in 2001 by the Tarun Gogoi government of the Congress.