The Assam government’s decision to notify a 1-kilometre Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Kaziranga National Park has drawn intense criticism from environmentalists and the opposition. Critics argue that reducing the buffer from the existing 10 kilometres will restrict the movement of rhinos and elephants during Assam’s annual floods, when animals migrate to the higher Karbi Anglong hills. The Congress has strongly opposed the move, labelling it an “eviction notice to animals” designed to benefit industrialists. They allege the government is deliberately diluting environmental safeguards to facilitate commercial tourism, pointing to proposed luxury hotel projects and the recent arrest of an indigenous rights activist as proof of malintent.
However, the state government has firmly defended its decision, clarifying that the narrative of “reducing” the ESZ is factually incorrect. According to the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led administration, Kaziranga did not previously have a finalised, site-specific ESZ. In the absence of a permanent boundary, a default 10-kilometre buffer was simply operating as a temporary, interim measure. The state points out that its proposal to notify a 1-kilometre boundary is strictly in compliance with the directives issued by the Supreme Court of India, which require finalising site-specific zones rather than relying indefinitely on an interim default buffer.
Furthermore, the Assam government asserts that formalising this 1-kilometre ESZ is an essential step for the region’s overall progress. The administration maintains that the decision aims to strike a pragmatic balance between vital wildlife conservation and the legitimate developmental needs of the indigenous communities living on the park’s fringes. By defining clear, legally backed boundaries, the government states it can seamlessly facilitate essential public infrastructure and livelihood opportunities for local residents, while continuing to protect the core habitat of the world-famous UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Congress opposition highlights the blatant hypocrisy and double standards of the party regarding this issue. While the state Congress unit enthusiastically accuses the ruling government of ecological vandalism to favour capitalists, they conveniently ignore their own party’s track record. In multiple Congress-ruled states, similar policies limiting eco-sensitive zones around wildlife sanctuaries have been seamlessly adopted to accommodate regional development. Their manufactured outrage over the Kaziranga ESZ appears to be mere political grandstanding, deliberately overlooking the Supreme Court’s legal mandates to falsely project themselves as environmental champions while directly contradicting their own past actions.
You can read the full article in Chapter 1 Magazine.
