Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: The Balipara Foundation is demanding an independent, science-based study before any attempt to shrink the Eco-Sensitive Zone around Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. The Assam government wants to slash the buffer from 10 kilometers to 1 kilometer to spur development, including a proposed stadium in Bokakhat. No formal proposal has reached the Centre yet.
Currently, no site-specific notification exists for the park. A Supreme Court order from June 2022 mandates a 10-kilometer default buffer, a rule the Gauhati High Court reaffirmed in March 2026. Experts warn that cutting this zone would effectively strip away nine-tenths of the protected surrounding land.
Construction and traffic are already straining areas like Jakhalabandha, Kohora, Bagori, Bokakhat, Uthori, Sekoni, Hatikhuli, and Methoni. Development in Sekoni and Bokakhat has already encroached within 1 kilometer of the park boundary. The foundation argues this existing shortfall requires mitigation rather than acting as a blueprint for further reductions. According to the foundation, "No reduction in Kaziranga ESZ without scientific study."
Wildlife relies on nine vital corridors crossing NH-715 to reach the Karbi Anglong hills during monsoon floods. These include Panbari, Haldibari, Amguri, Kanchanjuri, Deosur, Bagori, Harmati, Hatidandi, and Chirang. A narrower buffer could also ramp up disease transmission between domestic livestock and wild herds, mirroring past devastation seen in the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.
Kaziranga currently protects a massive population of animals, including 2,613 rhinos as of 2022 and 148 tigers as of 2024. The foundation recommends forming a committee within 90 days to determine appropriate buffer widths. They also urged for a formal carrying-capacity study, citing concerns that current wildlife growth may be nearing the limit of what the park can sustain.
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