GUWAHATI:
The Assam government has appointed the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Biswanath, Deba Kumar Mishra as a collector to investigate and determine the rights of the people in the 452 hectares of land added to the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR).
According to the official notification issued on February 17, the public will need to submit “claims of any person in or over the land” within the limit of the 10th addition to the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) to the divisional forest officer (DFO) of Biswanath Wildlife Division (BWD) Kanakh Baishya within two months from the date of issue of the proclamation, in the prescribed proforma.
The claim form can be obtained, free of cost from the DFO during office hours, the notification informed.
The northern boundary of the demarcated land runs from coordinates 260 45’21.70” N latitude and 930 17’7.29” E longitude in a north-west direction till it reaches coordinate 260 45’40.04” N latitude and 93016271.16” E longitude.
The eastern boundary starts from the southeast corner of Monabari Afforestation Centre (MAC) at the border of the 6th addition to KNP and runs along the boundary of Monabari Plantation in an eastward direction. The southern boundary runs along the north bank of the Brahmaputra and follows the northern boundary of the 6th addition to KNP.
The western boundary runs from North East coordinates towards a southwest direction, turning southeast and moving to southwest till it again meets the northern boundary, the 6th addition to KNP.
Notably, the state forest department approved the addition of land in Biswanath district to 1,085.53 sq km KNPTR, in November 2021.
Four months later, the Assam government declared its intention “to constitute a definite area of land as ‘National Park’ as per provision of Section 35, Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.”