Assam's Kaziranga National Park is a World Heritage Site that’s home to two-thirds of the world’s one-horned rhinoceros, a vulnerable species, and large populations of Indian elephants, Asiatic water buffaloes and Royal Bengal tigers. Given such wealth in megafauna, it’s no surprise that wildlife experts are aghast at Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s intention of reducing the protective eco-sensitive zone around the park from 10 km to 1 km to build a stadium and other properties. The zone has not yet been officially earmarked and thus follows the maximum range allowed by the Supreme Court. A government employee’s anonymous complaint in 2024 unearthed an illegal mining racket in this area. Given the global calls for climate action, Assam must avoid the myopic step that’s likely to invite protracted litigation.
