Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wants to cut the eco-sensitive zone surrounding Kaziranga National Park. He aims to shrink the default 10-kilometer limit down to one kilometer. The move seeks to clear hurdles for new construction projects in Bokakhat. Development plans include a new stadium and upgrades to local civic infrastructure.
The current 10-kilometer buffer exists only because the zone lacks a formal notification. Sarma plans to submit a proposal to the Centre within two months to fix these boundaries permanently. The Chief Minister stated, "Once there is a proper notification, the eco-sensitive zone will be reduced to one kilometre, which will significantly ease many of the existing constraints."
Regulatory uncertainty has plagued the region for years. In March, the Gauhati High Court noted that the Centre had received neither a final notification nor a draft proposal from the state government. This left the default 10-kilometer restriction in place.
Conservationists are watching the move closely. The state recently stirred controversy in June 2025 by withdrawing a preliminary notification for the park's ninth addition in the Sonitpur district. That move affected 2,570 hectares in the Tezpur Revenue Circle. Critics argue that losing that land threatens wildlife connectivity between Kaziranga and Nameri. Sarma plans to visit Bokakhat again soon to review project requirements before finalizing his next steps.
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