Supreme Court panel pulls up Assam Government for inaction on mining near Kaziranga

A Supreme Court-appointed panel has criticized the Assam government for its lack of action regarding mining operations near Kaziranga National Park. The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) expressed concern over the government's failure to address the issue of mining in the Parkup Pahar Range, a wildlife sanctuary crucial for the preservation of the one-horned rhino.

This comes after a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by environmental activist Rohit Choudhury on June 15, 2025, seeking information about compliance with the CEC's directives to the Assam Chief Secretary. The CEC had set a deadline of October 2025 for the submission of a comprehensive Watershed Drainage Analysis Report and quarterly status reports on violations.

However, the CEC claims it did not receive the watershed report and that the quarterly status reports were not fully completed. The CEC had previously ordered mining to be halted along the southern boundary of Kaziranga and throughout the catchments of rivers and streams originating in the Karbi Anglong hills in April 2019. Despite this, the panel alleges that mining activities have continued in some form or another.

The panel also highlighted the failure of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) to communicate the necessary information regarding animal corridors to the CEC and questioned the sanctioning of mining leases in the Karbi Anglong Elephant Reserve. The CEC has urged the government to promptly implement all the recommendations it has made and inform all the courts in Assam about the Supreme Court's order on Kaziranga's conservation.