The National Green Tribunal has raised an alarm over the establishment of brick kilns and resorts within the proposed eco-sensitive zone of Assam’s Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, home to a high density of endangered one-horned rhinos.
This committee was created in August in response to a 2023 petition by environmental activist Utpal Saikia, who alleged that local authorities were permitting industrial activities in the protected 1-kilometer buffer zone mandated for wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.
These establishments, violating Supreme Court directives from June 2022 that prohibit industrial construction within a 1-kilometer buffer zone around protected areas, are a threat to the sanctuary’s ecosystems and the species it shelters, including wild buffaloes, leopards, and migratory birds.
The committee, which includes representatives from the Union Environment Ministry, Assam’s Pollution Control Board, the Central Pollution Control Board, and Assam’s forest department, conducted a site visit on October 18. Their findings, presented on November 4, reveal that several brick kilns, along with resorts and hotels, have been built dangerously close to the sanctuary’s boundary.
Some brick kilns were situated just 374 meters away, and a large resort was found at an 820-meter distance.
The NGT has directed authorities to respond to the findings and consider immediate measures, such as shifting and closing prohibited structures within the ESZ, enhancing industrial monitoring, and ensuring compliance with pollution standards.
The tribunal has impleaded the Union and Assam environment ministries, pollution control boards, and brick kiln owners as respondents, with the case transferred to the NGT’s eastern zone bench in Kolkata. Further hearings are scheduled for December 10.