Guwahati: A formal appeal addressed to UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany has urged immediate intervention over the proposed 35-kilometre elevated corridor planned along the southern boundary of Kaziranga National Park in Assam. The letter, submitted by nature enthusiast Prasanta Kumar Saikia, raises alarm about potential threats to the park’s delicate ecosystem and its globally recognised wildlife corridors.
Saikia’s letter highlights that extended construction activity, use of heavy machinery, and increased human presence could severely affect the natural movement of animals, including elephants and rhinoceroses, which depend on unhindered migratory routes between forested zones. The appeal warns that the project, if carried out as proposed, might disturb breeding grounds and upset the park’s long-established ecological rhythm.
Particular concern has been directed at the planned realignment of National Highway 715 near the Burhapahar Range, regarded as one of Kaziranga’s most critical wildlife passages. Conservation advocates fear that altering this corridor could fragment habitats and interfere with seasonal migrations essential for survival.
The letter calls on UNESCO to dispatch a monitoring mission to review the environmental implications of the project and ensure that construction complies with the organisation’s conservation standards for World Heritage Sites. It further recommends a temporary halt on development until a comprehensive, independent environmental impact assessment is completed.
Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, is home to the world’s largest population of the one-horned rhinoceros. Environmentalists argue that maintaining its integrity is vital not only for biodiversity conservation but also for the region’s ecological resilience and global heritage value.