Environmental activist Questions Plan to reduce Kaziranga National Park ESZ

A CORRESPONDENT

BOKAKHAT: Is there a government conspiracy to destroy Dlamara, the protective shield for the wildlife of the World Heritage Site Kaziranga? Will the game of environmental destruction once again be played in the name of development? These are the serious allegations raised by environmental activist Apurba Ballabh Goswami.

Goswami said that the government, which has worked to establish Kaziranga National Park as a World Heritage Site before the world, is now being accused of adopting a highly contradictory policy regarding the protection of its wildlife. During floods, Dlamara in Karbi Anglong district becomes the only safe refuge for the helpless wildlife of Kaziranga. Goswami questions whether the State Government has any minimum responsibility to preserve Dlamara. There is growing suspicion that steps are being taken to reduce the extent of Dlamara's eco-sensitive zone solely to benefit stone and sand mafias under government patronage.

It may be recalled that in 2018, powerful stone mafias allegedly installed crusher machines in this sensitive hill area by illegally drawing an 11,000-volt electricity connection, causing extensive damage to the ecosystem.

Environmental activist Goswami had lodged an FIR at Dlamara police station against the illegal stone mafia. Subsequently, Bokakhat-based RTI activist Rohit Choudhury approached the Supreme Court, and following a prolonged legal battle, the illegal quarries were shut down. At that time, questions were particularly raised over the extraction of sand and gravel in the Dlamara and Deihiri river areas.

According to the allegations, the use of excavators, dumpers and other heavy machinery for mining activities altered the natural course of the rivers and the structure of their banks. This also increased the risk of soil erosion and silt deposition during the rainy season. Goswami alleged that illegal mining and transportation of sand and stones are continuing openly in the area without permission, right under the watch of government departments.

The government's alleged position of allowing this vital wildlife corridor-whose importance for wildlife movement is acknowledged even in official documents-to be exposed to the destruction of rivers and hills in the name of development is indeed mysterious, Goswami said.

Furthermore, according to information submitted by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in the Lok Sabha in 2025, following the Supreme Court's directions, orders had been issued to completely shut down 28 stone quarries, 18 crushers, and 10 sand mahals in Karbi Anglong. Goswami said that if the government fails to fully implement the Supreme Court's directions and take stringent action against illegal mining, it is almost certain that the future of Kaziranga will be pushed into permanent darkness.

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