What happened: Congress announced a statewide padayatra against Kaziranga ESZ buffer reduction
The Opposition Congress in Assam announced a statewide padayatra on 29 August to protest a proposal to reduce the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) buffer around Kaziranga National Park. The party’s stated aim is to challenge the plan because narrowing the buffer could affect wildlife, biodiversity, and the ecosystem around the protected area.
Proposed change and the reported buffer numbers
Congress leaders said Assam plans to submit a proposal to the Centre to reduce the ESZ buffer from the default 10 km to between 1 km and 3 km. The ESZ/buffer is treated as a regulated transition space around protected areas, where restrictions or permissions depend on specified norms.
Background: How ESZ/buffer regulation works and what opponents claim
In an ESZ (eco-sensitive zone) or buffer area around a protected area, the permitted activities can be prohibited, regulated, or permitted, based on prescribed norms. Opponents and environmental activists alleged that reducing the buffer is intended to enable mining and tourism in and around forested areas and the Karbi Anglong hills, which function as an elephant corridor.
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