NTCA advocates for halt to mining operations across Kaziranga & K A
Sushanta Roy
Hills Live News, Diphu September 13: A proposal by the Assam state government, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, to downsize the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) surrounding Kaziranga National Park has run into severe pushback from conservationists and local environmental bodies.
According to reports highlighted by English daily, the state government’s move aims to shrink the protective buffer zone to ease restrictions on local communities and development activities.
However, the proposal faces stern resistance following prior directives from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The NTCA has strongly advocated for an immediate halt to all mining and stone-crushing operations across the fragile Kaziranga–Karbi Anglong landscape.
Environmental experts and opposition leaders, including Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, argue that weakening the buffer zone risks reopening heavy industrial pollution, quarrying, and habitat degradation along Kaziranga’s critical southern boundary.
The southern contiguous hills in Karbi Anglong serve as essential high-ground refuge corridors for wildlife during seasonal floods making the enforcement of strict mining bans crucial to maintaining ecological balance in the tiger reserve.
Morning load shedding to continue
Sushanta Roy
Hills Live News, Diphu September 13: Residents and commercial establishments falling under the Diphu Electrical Sub-Division-I face early morning disruptions following a schedule of planned daily power cuts announced by the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL).
According to the Assistant Executive Engineer of APDCL’s Diphu Sub-Division-I, the scheduled power outages are being executed every morning between 4:30 AM and 8:00 AM. The routine shutdowns began earlier this month and are set to continue through September 30.
APDCL officials stated that the continuous early morning load shedding is required to execute urgent infrastructure upgrades, vegetation clearance near power lines, and general grid maintenance across the sub-division before the upcoming festival season.
Power department officials have appealed to consumers in affected localities to bear with the temporary inconvenience as technical crews work to stabilize the regional distribution network.