Despite SC ban illegal mining intensified near Kaziranga, says CEC report

The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has told the Supreme Court that illegal mining has continued and intensified in Assam's Parkup Pahar area near the Kaziranga National Park, despite a 2019 top court order banning all mining and related activities in and around the park's eco-sensitive zone.

Kaziranga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to around 65 per cent of the endangered one-horned rhino population in the world. It forms part of an important wildlife corridor between the Brahmaputra floodplains and the Karbi Anglong hills.

The Supreme Court, acting on earlier findings by the CEC, had prohibited all mining and related activities in this region to prevent degradation of critical wildlife habitats and forested landscapes.

Based on a complaint from an anonymous government employee in Assam and field-level verification, the CEC submitted a fresh report dated May 30 to the SC, saying that mining activities in the region have "continued and intensified" despite the apex court's ban ordered on April 4, 2019.

Rampant mining continues, particularly in the Parkup Pahar Range, a declared wildlife sanctuary forming the southern boundary of the Kaziranga National Park, the report said.

The complaint received from the government employee in December 2024 contained Google Earth imagery from 2019 to 2023 and site-specific data.

The images reportedly showed that mining, which had stopped following the SC's 2019 ban order, resumed and intensified after 2021.

The CEO forwarded the complaint to the Assam forest and police departments, requesting a factual report.

The principal chief conservator of forests, Assam, submitted a detailed report on February 5, outlining the actions taken, including the suspension of mining leases.

The report confirmed that stone mining was occurring close to the Borjuri Waterfall and its surrounding streams, which flow towards Kaziranga.

The CEC report also said the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) gave fresh permissions for dozens of mines in forest areas and in proposed eco-sensitive zones, violating the SC ban and without the required approval from the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife and the Central government under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

The panel said KAAC had no authority to issue such permissions.

The committee recommended that all mining and related activities in the Parkup Pahar area and the forested catchments be immediately stopped and no new leases be granted.

It also asked KAAC to submit a detailed watershed drainage analysis report to delineate the catchment area and the eco-sensitive streams flowing into Kaziranga.

The CEC also said the Assam government may approach the Gauhati High Court to seek review of its recent orders allowing mining in some cases, as the court had not been informed about the Supreme Court's 2019 directions.

It instructed the KAAC to file quarterly status reports through the chief secretary of Assam and asked the DGP and the Karbi Anglong SP to take immediate and effective steps to ensure that no illegal mining and transportation of minerals from the area is allowed.