Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: The Assam government is pushing to set a site-specific eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. The plan cuts the buffer to between one and three kilometres from the park boundary. Kaziranga currently operates under a default 10-kilometre buffer because it lacks a notified limit. This reserve holds over 2,610 greater one-horned rhinoceroses, representing nearly 70 percent of the global population.
Wildlife often crosses the unfenced boundary to reach the Karbi Anglong hills, particularly when monsoon floods hit the Brahmaputra River. Animals must traverse National Highway-715 during these migrations. Critics argue that a smaller zone threatens these creatures. Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi and leaders from the Communist Party of India are fighting the proposal. They claim a smaller buffer destroys essential protections for the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma defends the state’s position. He insists the plan follows Supreme Court mandates that require a buffer of at least one kilometre. Sarma said the plan does not ban development. Sarma argued that an ESZ does not mean "no tourism infrastructure" but provides a framework to regulate activities such as mining, chemical industries and other polluting activities that could harm the ecological integrity of a protected area.
State BJP president Dilip Saikia and minister Pijush Hazarika backed the proposal. They hit back at the opposition by highlighting that 235 rhinos died under former forest minister Rakibul Hussain. Local residents have also staged protests to demand the reduction. Thousands gathered at Biswanath Ghat on August 21 to advocate for the change. These residents claim that strict buffer rules stifle their livelihoods. They want the government to treat local communities as stakeholders while finalizing the new boundary.
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