Guwahati, August 27, 2026: Controversies surrounding Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve intensified this week after reports confirmed that the Assam government has still not notified the nine identified animal corridors despite a five-year-old recommendation by the Integrated Regional Office (IRO) of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). At the same time, the state’s proposal to shrink the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) from the default 10 km to 1–3 km continues to draw sharp political and conservationist opposition.
The IRO site inspection report, prepared following directions from the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC), had urged the Assam government to notify all nine animal corridors connecting Kaziranga with the Karbi Anglong hills and to demolish illegal constructions within them. The report recommended retaining a corridor length of 44.205 km (against a state committee’s earlier approval of 37.48 km) to ensure safe animal passage. The CEC has repeatedly sought updates — including letters in March 2026 and a communication as recent as July 17, 2026 — but the state has not responded.
A parallel Supreme Court panel communication earlier this month flagged the government’s inaction on stopping mining and quarrying activities along the southern boundary of the park in Karbi Anglong, incomplete identification of catchment areas of streams and rivers, and the long delay in notifying the corridors. The panel has again directed immediate notification of the nine corridors and full implementation of earlier recommendations.
These developments come against the backdrop of the Assam government’s plan, announced by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in early August, to approach the Centre within two months seeking a site-specific ESZ of 1 km (or up to 1–3 km) instead of the default 10-km buffer that currently applies because no final Kaziranga-specific notification exists. The CM has repeatedly clarified that the park boundary itself will remain unchanged and that the proposal aligns with Supreme Court guidelines allowing a minimum 1-km ESZ measured from the demarcated boundary of a protected area.
Sarma has argued that the wider default buffer has restricted civic and urban growth in towns such as Bokakhat and Kaliabor, delayed infrastructure projects (including a stadium), and constrained local livelihoods and housing. He has cited the example of Deepor Beel’s more limited ESZ and warned that a rigid 10-km zone could even impact facilities such as the Numaligarh Refinery. Some local residents near the park have held rallies supporting the reduction, while organisations such as TMPK have backed zero ESZ in inhabited areas.
Opposition parties and conservation groups have strongly opposed the move. Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi has alleged that shrinking the buffer could provide “legal cover” for illegal coal, stone and sand mining, worsen floods in Upper Assam, choke critical wildlife corridors used during annual monsoon inundation, and intensify human-elephant conflict. Congress workers staged a protest near the Kohora range earlier this month and have announced statewide padayatras on August 29 against the proposed ESZ cut. Environmentalists and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) have previously called for a complete ban on mining, quarrying and stone-crushing in the entire Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape.
Until a final site-specific ESZ notification is issued by the Centre, the 10-km default buffer continues to operate under Supreme Court directions, as noted by the Gauhati High Court. Critics point out that several stone quarries and crusher units already operate within 2–5 km of the southern boundary and that reducing the zone could legitimise further industrial activity. Proponents counter that a scientifically determined, narrower ESZ will still protect corridors while allowing compatible development for communities that live alongside the park.
Kaziranga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of India’s premier tiger reserves, is home to the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses along with significant numbers of tigers and elephants. Animals routinely move between the park and the Karbi Anglong hills during floods, making the integrity of the nine corridors and the surrounding buffer critical for long-term conservation.