GUWAHATI
In that order, the apex court banned all forms of mining, stone quarrying, and related activities along the southern boundary of the one-horned rhino habitat to protect wildlife and vital hill catchments of Karbi Anglong district. The court also prohibited any new construction on private land falling within the nine identified animal corridors around the reserve. The Assam government seems to have ignored a Supreme Court-constituted panel’s March 2022 notice to provide a list of construction activities along the nine corridors of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve and within 10 km of its default Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ). On March 3, 2022, the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) met the Chief Secretary and other Assam government officials in New Delhi to discuss the implementation of the Supreme Court’s April 14, 2019, order. These included a list of activities in each of the nine animal corridors; photographs (before and after delineation) of such constructions; name and designation of officers who granted permissions for the construction activities along with copies of licenses or permissions given by them; action taken to stop or prevent constructions within the 10-km ESZ around Kaziranga National Park (KNP), along with names of officers responsible for enforcing the provisions of the ESZ and a copy of the notification for constituting two committees for the delineation of the animal corridors linking KNP with Karbi Anglong hills and copies of the notices issued for removal or demolition of illegal constructions.
