Assam to push Centre to cut Kaziranga ESZ from 10 km to 1 km

way2barak, Aug 13: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday defended the state government’s move to notify a one-kilometre Eco-Sensitive Zone around Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, saying a uniform 10-km buffer would affect several towns and thousands of residents living around the protected area.

“If we have to maintain that 10 km limit around KNPTR then towns like Kaliabar, Doboka, Jakhalabandha, Bokakhat would not remain,” Sarma said.

He added: “The SC guidelines specifies that the ESZ should be 1 km, but it can extend to 3 km depending on circumstances. There’s no wildlife sanctuary in the world which has an ESZ of 10 km surrounding it.”

Sarma said the existing 10-km provision would continue until a formal Eco-Sensitive Zone notification is issued on the basis of proposals submitted by the state government.

“Once the zone is notified, the distance specified in that notification will come into effect,” he told journalists in Guwahati.

The Chief Minister rejected criticism that the Assam government was seeking to reduce an existing Eco-Sensitive Zone around Kaziranga.

“The Supreme Court said the ESZ can be 1 km [from the periphery of a protected area]. The 10-km provision will continue to apply until the ESZ is notified. This is not about reducing the existing zone,” Sarma said.

He argued that retaining a 10-km zone around Kaziranga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major habitat of the one-horned rhinoceros, would affect people living in Bokakhat, Kaliabor and other surrounding areas.

Sarma also said some of the criticism of the proposal stemmed from a misunderstanding of the rules and urged critics to examine the relevant Supreme Court order before reaching conclusions.