Notice issued to Kaziranga animal corridor encroachers: Assam govt.

The Central Empowered Committee had in October 2021 sought action against people violating a 2019 Supreme Court order

The Assam government has told the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) that it has served notice on the encroachers of sensitive animal corridors of the 1,300 sq. km Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.In a letter to CEC member-secretary Amarnatha Shetty recently, Assam Chief Secretary Jishnu Barua sought more time for the removal of encroachment and other penal action against the violators of an April 2019 order of the Supreme Court banning new construction on private lands that form part of Kaziranga’s nine identified animal corridors.Seven of these corridors — Amguri, Bagori, Chirang, Deosur, Harmati, Hatidandi and Kanchanjuri — are in the Nagaon district while Haldibari and Panbari are in the adjoining Golaghat district.The CEC had in October 2021 sought action against the encroachers on the basis of a complaint by environment activist Rohit Choudhury, who said the Supreme Court’s order was being blatantly violated in at least four animal corridors. These are Amguri, Kanchanjuri, Harmati and Hatidandi.The Deputy Commissioner of Nagaon has issued notices to the owners of six ‘dhabas’, restaurants and resorts on the animal corridors. His Golaghat counterpart has taken a similar step against two resort owners, the Chief Secretary said. “All high-volt illuminating lights at construction [sites] as well as government land have been removed,” he wrote, adding that action would be initiated once the notice period was over.The Chief Secretary also said the Assam government was expeditiously processing the draft notification of the eco-sensitive zone for the integrated Kaziranga National Park and adjoining protected areas and reserve forests and forwarding it to the Environment Ministry. “The nine identified animal corridors shall be subsumed in the proposed eco-sensitive zone,” he said.

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