Supreme Court panel pulls up Assam Government for inaction on mining near Kaziranga

Amid a controversy over a plan to reduce the Eco-Sensitive Zone of Kaziranga National Park, a Supreme Court-constituted panel has pulled up the Assam government over its handling of mining on the southern boundary of the one-horned rhino habitat.

The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) said the government did not address the mining issue in and around the Parkup Pahar Range, a declared wildlife sanctuary and vital ecological corridor, with the seriousness it deserved.

The latest development follows a June 15 Right to Information (RTI) application filed by Rohit Choudhury, a Golaghat district-based environmental activist, seeking details of compliance with the CEC’s directions to the Assam Chief Secretary on May 30, 2025.

Mr. Choudhury sought the comprehensive Watershed Drainage Analysis Report that was to identify all areas draining into Kaziranga, along with quarterly status reports on action taken against reported violations.

The CEC’s July 17 response to the RTI stated it did not receive the comprehensive Watershed Drainage Analysis Report. It also said the quarterly status reports had been attached, but the response does not indicate that the watershed exercise the CEC ordered was completed.

The CEC had fixed October 2025 as the deadline for submitting the watershed report.

The issue predates the RTI application. In its May 30, 2025, report on “Application No.1592 of 2024”, the CEC recorded allegations of renewed mining in Parkup Pahar despite the Supreme Court’s April 12, 2019, order restraining all mining and related activities along the southern boundary of Kaziranga and throughout the catchments of rivers and streams originating in the Karbi Anglong hills and flowing into the park.

The same order prohibited new construction on private lands forming part of nine identified animal corridors.

On March 3, three months before Mr. Choudhury’s RTI plea, the CEC wrote to the Assam Chief Secretary, noting that mining and related activities had been going on “in some way on one pretext or the other”, and that the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) was not presenting a holistic picture to the courts.

The KAAC administers Karbi Anglong, the district that forms Kaziranga’s southern boundary. The hills of the district serve as a refuge for animals whenever Kaziranga is flooded beyond the levels its animals can withstand.

“It has been observed time and again that the issue has not been addressed with the seriousness it deserves. It may be observed that the unmistakable intent of the order of the Supreme Court is to secure the protection of wildlife and to preserve the integrity of the natural drainage system across the entire landscape, thereby safeguarding the ecological balance of the area,” the letter read.

Terming the issues sensitive, the CEC asked the Chief Secretary to take immediate action, warning that any violation of the apex court’s order would be brought to the court’s notice by the committee.

Unresponsive government

The letter further noted the failure to identify the catchment areas of the streams and rivers originating in the Karbi Anglong hills even after more than six years. “The situation is no different with regard to the nine identified animal corridors. The committee, vide its letter dated May 6, 2021, specifically requested that the action taken by the State government to notify the animal corridors connecting KNP be communicated to the committee at the earliest. However, no response has been received from the State government,” it stated.

The panel also pointed to areas of the Karbi Anglong Elephant Reserve (covering Karbi Anglong and Kaziranga National Park) which had been ravaged by large-scale mining and the death of several elephants due to conflicts with humans. It questioned how mining leases around Borjuri could have been sanctioned at all, given that the area forms part of the elephant reserve.

“The KAAC seems oblivious of all these notifications and is not conscious of the measures that need to be taken to protect the ecology and wildlife of the area. It is evident that no wildlife management plan, which includes measures for mitigation of damage to wildlife, is in place to date,” the CEC said.

The committee had submitted a detailed report to the State government on May 30, 2025, with some recommendations. Later, it “regretted that the recommendations have not yet been fully implemented”.

In its latest communiqué, the panel asked the government to ensure speedy implementation of all its recommendations and immediately notify the nine identified animal corridors. It also asked the State Law Department to inform all the courts in Assam about the Supreme Court’s order on Kaziranga’s conservation.

Published – August 23, 2026 02:11 pm IST