NGT to examine threat to wildlife, livelihood from proposed luxury hotels in Kaziranga National Park

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of the potential threat to wildlife and livelihood due to upcoming tourism infrastructure projects in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR), Assam..Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Dr A Senthil Vel observed that the proposed infrastructure projects may violate the Environment Protection Act, Biodiversity Act and the Forest Conservation Act..The issue was taken up based on a news item in the online outlet Mongabay titled, 'Proposed luxury hotels in and around Kaziranga threaten wildlife conservation, livelihood.'.The article claims the upcoming tourism infrastructure projects could pose a threat to wildlife, resulting in displacement, negative environmental impacts and the movement of wild animals, especially in the Inle Pothar area which has traditionally been a haven for elephants. According to the article, Assam’s Chief Minister had announced in 2023 that a five-star resort would be developed in Kaziranga to boost tourism. Subsequently, the Assam government disclosed plans for three hospitality projects in collaboration with the Department of Tourism. However, the exact details of these projects, including the developers involved, remain unclear. The article alleges that land has already been barricaded, and farmers have been displaced to pave the way for these developments..In particular, the article spotlights Inle Pothar, a 19-acre farmland in Kohora, Golaghat district, which has been fenced off by authorities and is being guarded by armed commandos. This area, which is crucial for the movement of animals, especially during floods, also serves as a livelihood source for over 45 farmer families. Of the 19 acres, 9.9 acres have reportedly been earmarked for the luxury hotel project. The article claims that although the authorities have designated this land as government-owned, farmers have been paying land revenue taxes for more than a decade.The article also notes that eight acres within the Tata-owned Hathikuli tea estate have been allocated for a luxury resort to be developed by Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL). This development threatens the livelihoods of around 1,500 people employed in the Rongajan and Hatikhuli tea gardens..The report underscores that Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve currently has nine delineated animal corridors, and the Supreme Court has mandated a one-kilometer Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around protected forests where infrastructure projects are prohibited. The KNPTR lacks a formally declared ESZ. Without a declared ESZ, a radius of 10 kilometres outside the park has been enforced by the Supreme Court since 2006. The proposed hotel projects, falling within this zone are therefore subject to legal scrutiny, the report added..The Tribunal found that the report raised substantial issues relating to compliance with environmental norms and the implementation of the provisions of a scheduled enactment.Accordingly, it issued notice to the Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change (MoEFCC), KNPTR, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Assam.The matter will be heard further on September 30, 2024, by the Eastern Zonal Bench of the NGT at Kolkata."Since the matter relates to the Eastern Zonal Bench, Kolkata, therefore, OA is transferred to the Eastern Zonal Bench for appropriate further action," the Principal Bench of the NGT at Delhi explained in its August 7 order. .[Read Order]