Assam Congress protests in Dibrugarh over proposed reduction of Kaziranga ESZ

Assam Congress protests proposed reduction of Kaziranga ESZ in Dibrugarh

The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee staged a protest march in Dibrugarh on August 30 against the state government’s proposal to reduce the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Kaziranga National Park from 10 km to 1 km.

The protest was organised jointly by the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee and the Dibrugarh District Congress Committee. Party workers and supporters began the march from the Puja Field at Borbaruah Tea Estate and proceeded towards Chukapha Bhawan, where it concluded.

The Dibrugarh protest came a day after the Assam Congress held demonstrations across several districts on August 29 over the proposed reduction. Protests were reported in Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Hailakandi, Karimganj, Tinsukia, Karbi Anglong and Golaghat, among other places.

Congress workers in the districts took out padayatras through district headquarters, raising slogans against the government and demanding that the proposal be withdrawn.

In Guwahati, Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly Wazed Ali Choudhury, former MP Ripun Bora, state women's wing president Mira Borthakur and other party leaders joined the August 29 protest. Police stopped the protesters from marching out of the Congress office in the Dispur area, following which party workers attempted to cross the barricades and move towards the streets.

In Dibrugarh, the Congress described the proposed reduction of the ESZ as a hasty decision that could have implications for Kaziranga’s environment and wildlife.

The party demanded that the proposal be withdrawn and urged the state government to reconsider the move, citing the need to protect the national park’s sensitive ecosystem and wildlife.