A tourist road inside the Kaziranga National Park in Assam. File   | Photo Credit: Ritu Raj Konwar

The Assam government has approved the addition of 30.53 sq km to the 884 sq km Kaziranga National Park.

The additional areas straddling two districts — Nagaon and Sonitpur — would make the larger Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) grow to 1085.53 sq km. However, the wildlife habitat still awaits the possession 14.62 sq km “added” earlier in two other districts.

The core area of the KNPTR is 430 sq km.

A Forest Department spokesperson said preliminary notifications were for seventh, eighth and ninth additions on Thursday.

“The additions include encroachment-evicted areas and suitable wildlife habitat on river islands (sandbars) that are vulnerable to encroachment. It is a move to consolidate the wildlife areas anticipating better wildlife conservation and reduction in human-wildlife negative interactions in the future,” KNPTR director P. Sivakumar said.

He added that the three additions are habitat corridors and would help provide connectivity to Orang and Nameri National Parks across river Brahmaputra from KNPTR besides the hills of Karbi Anglong to the south of the park, where the rhino, tiger, deer and other animals take refuge during the floods.

“Of course, we will need more manpower to guard the additional areas,” Mr Sivakumar said.

The seventh and eight additions totalling 4.83 sq km are in Nagaon district while the ninth, covering 25.70 sq km, is in Sonitpur district.

Wildlife activists have appreciated the official stamp on the expansion of KNPTR but have pointed out that the rhino habitat is yet to be handed over possession of 1,461.59 hectares (14.62 sq km) of land comprising the second, third, fifth and sixth additions in Golaghat and Biswanath districts.

On August 17, the Gauhati High Court had directed the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and the Chief Wildlife Warden, Assam, to submit an action-taken report on eviction of encroachers in areas added to the park earlier.

The court had on October 9, 2015, ordered the eviction of encroachers in the second, third, fifth and sixth additions to the KNPTR while observing that the State government delivered a total of 39,836.74 hectares covering the first and fourth additions.

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, the KNPTR has an estimated 2,413 rhinos and 121 tigers.

You have reached your limit for free articles this month.

To get full access, please subscribe.

Already have an account ? Sign in

Start your 14 days free trial. Sign Up

Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.

Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.

Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.

A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.

A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.

We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.

*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper ,crossword, iPhone, iPad mobile applications and print. Our plans enhance your reading experience.

Dear reader,

We have been keeping you up-to-date with information on the developments in India and the world that have a bearing on our health and wellbeing, our lives and livelihoods, during these difficult times. To enable wide dissemination of news that is in public interest, we have increased the number of articles that can be read free, and extended free trial periods. However, we have a request for those who can afford to subscribe: please do. As we fight disinformation and misinformation, and keep apace with the happenings, we need to commit greater resources to news gathering operations. We promise to deliver quality journalism that stays away from vested interest and political propaganda.

Dear subscriber,

Thank you!

Your support for our journalism is invaluable. It’s a support for truth and fairness in journalism. It has helped us keep apace with events and happenings.

The Hindu has always stood for journalism that is in the public interest. At this difficult time, it becomes even more important that we have access to information that has a bearing on our health and well-being, our lives, and livelihoods. As a subscriber, you are not only a beneficiary of our work but also its enabler.

We also reiterate here the promise that our team of reporters, copy editors, fact-checkers, designers, and photographers will deliver quality journalism that stays away from vested interest and political propaganda.

Suresh Nambath

Please enter a valid email address.

Subscribe to The Hindu now and get unlimited access.

Already have an account? Sign In

Start your 14 days free trial Sign Up

You can support quality journalism by turning off ad blocker or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to The Hindu.

Sign up for a 30 day free trial.