No Mining Allowed along Kaziranga National park: SC

Mining activities near Kaziranga National Park and catchment area of rivers originating in Karbi Anglong Hills in Assam has been banned. As many of the sites selected for operation of the mining activities are qualified to be recognized as forests and therefore in such areas the prior mandatory forest clearance from the Centre is a must.

About Kaziranga National Park

• It is a national park in the Golaghat and Negron districts of the state of Assam.
• It is a World Heritage Site.
• The sanctuary hosts two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses. Rhinos are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red list of Threatened Species.
• Kaziranga is home to the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006
• The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo and swamp deer.
• Kaziranga is recognized as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International for conservation of avifaunal species.
• Located on the edge of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, the park combines high species diversity and visibility
• Kaziranga is a vast expanse of tall elephant grass, marshland, and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests, criss-crossed by four major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, and the park includes numerous small bodies of water
• The park celebrated its centennial in 2005 after its establishment in 1905 as a reserve forest.

The Kaziranga National Parks lies in Karbi angling hills which is an extension of peninsular block.