Kaziranga, Aug 25: A public meeting was organised at Kohora by Kaziranga Yuva Mancha to deliberate on the issue of eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) in Kaziranga, wherein many speakers opposed the extension of the ESZ beyond 1 km and, if possible, favoured its reduction to less than 1 km to ensure that the livelihoods of fringe villagers are not affected. Speaking to the press, Prabin Nath, a leading citizen of Kohora on Sunday said that the proposal for the ESZ in Kaziranga was drafted in 2011, which had led to many protests by the local people against the policy.

Nath said that the eco sensitive zone, if extended beyond 1 km, will lead to many restrictions that could affect the livelihoods of the common people in Kaziranga. When asked about unregulated mining and earth cutting which are still prevalent in parts of the Karbi Anglong hills, Nath said that the government needs to check such activities and take measure to ensure that there is no further mining and earth cutting in the Karbi Anglong hills, so as to conserve the forests adjacent to Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve and thereby protect the wildlife of Kaziranga.

Another participant in the meeting said that a balanced approach is very important to ensure a long-term stategy to protect weather factors, which might change abruptly if unregulated and unauthorised earth cutting and mining are not stopped in the Karbi Anglong hills adjacent to, or near, Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. Otherwise, such activities will have a very detrimental impact on the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape and its flora and fauna.

Therefore, the participant said, a balanced strategy must be initiated by State forest department to ensure better livelihoods of the fringe area dwellers of Kaziranga and also provide a better environment for the wild animals of Kaziranga. The demand to reduce Kaziranga’s eco-sensitive zone comes amid warnings from conservationists that any further dilution of the ESZ could cause irreversible ecological damage.

The issue has sparked a debate between protecting the livelihoods of fringe-area residents and ensuring long-term conservation of the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape.