Assam govt. guesthouse on Kaziranga animal corridor

The park’s director updates Forest Department on the encroachment status, seeking necessary action in keeping with a Supreme Court order in 2019

GUWAHATI

An Assam government guesthouse is among 21 structures and truck terminals that have not been removed from the animal corridors of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, as sought by the Supreme Court.

In a letter to the State’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) on February 15, Kaziranga’s field director, P. Sivakumar updated the status of the removal of illegal construction and vehicle parking spaces on the nine animal corridors along the highway running south of the park.

The Supreme Court-formed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) had in October 2021 asked the Assam government to act against the encroachers. The CEC’s report had outlined 22 illegal constructions and vehicle or truck parking spaces in six of the nine animal corridors.

These corridors are Haldhibari, Bagori, Harmuty, Kanchanjuri, Chirang and Amguri.

According to the field director’s letter, none of the structures and parking spaces has been removed except for the boundary wall of a private resort on the Haldhibari corridor. The deadline expired in the first week of February. The Assam government had sought three months’ time from the CEC to take the necessary action. While five truck terminals were “continuing”, the status of some hotels, resorts, restaurants, residential buildings, shops, and a marriage hall was marked “not removed”.

Among the structures “not removed” is a government guesthouse on the Haldhibari corridor. The guesthouse is under the Forest Department’s Karbi Anglong East Division.