Nearly five months after an anonymous government official flagged rampant illegal mining near Kaziranga National Park, the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee has asked the DGP and chief secretary to ensure the 2019 ban on such activities is complied with.
The official from Assam withheld their identity over fear of reprisal from both the government and the “mining mafia”. “I am writing to you anonymously because I am a government employee and I fear that stringent action may be taken against me for exposing the actions of the state…I am also scared that my life would be in utter danger if the mining mafia gets to know about the fact that I have complained against them for destroying my precious homeland. Therefore, I request you to take action on my complaint even though I have made it anonymously.”
The whistleblower’s letter in December and the CEC’s remarks within its report submitted to the Supreme Court on May 30 suggest what conservationists have long alleged: that illegal mining continues with official complicity in the area.
This is despite the top court banning all kinds of mining along the southern boundary of the park, in the catchment areas of water bodies flowing into Kaziranga, and any new construction on private lands in identified animal corridors.
The letter alleged that illegal mining along Kaziranga’s southern boundary – particularly in the Parkup Pahar Range – intensified dramatically after the Supreme Court’s 2019 ban. It claimed that over a dozen illegal mines were operating within sanctuary limits and accused the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council of facilitating these operations without having the authority to do so.
“This action of KAAC insinuates their involvement with the mining cartel as they, being the state authorities, ought to safeguard their own resources instead of allowing its destruction,” the letter alleged. It also claimed that the Borjuri waterfall, which flows through the region where mines are now operating, was left out of the notified boundary area to benefit mining interests. “Moreover, the mining mafia operating in the area has even built two culvert bridges to let the water from the falls flow so that they could operate in the adjacent areas, and this fact could be easily substantiated from the Google Earth images submitted herewith,” the letter alleged.
The complaint included geo-tagged photographs and satellite imagery comparisons between 2018 and 2024 to show the geographic transformation caused by mining, as well as details on the Borjuri waterfall.
Violations continue, action inadequate
After looking into the matter, the CEC filed a report before the Supreme Court on May 30, observing that some illegal mines had resumed operations, and that state action remained insufficient.
The committee had earlier sought reports from the state’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and the DGP and held meetings with relevant stakeholders, including the KAAC and the mining department.
The PCCF, in a February submission, had stated that mining leases in the affected area had been suspended. But the CEC, in a March communication, criticised this as inadequate, noting that since the leases fall within a draft eco-sensitive zone, they should have been cancelled altogether.
It reminded state authorities that no new mining leases should be granted in the area under the 2019 SC directive.
Meanwhile, the KAAC, which exercises autonomous forest governance under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, has denied enabling mining in protected zones. In its subsequent submission to the CEC, the council claimed to have cancelled permits and issued closure notices to 10 quarries within 10 km of Kaziranga, as well as four near Borjuri waterfall, back in 2018 and 2019.
KAAC maintained that no new mining permissions had been granted since the 2019 ban. However, it acknowledged that two cases were still pending before the Gauhati High Court and would be resolved under the Assam Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2013.
A high court order dated May 5, 2025, had allowed mining in those two cases, but the CEC pointed out that the high court was not informed of the Supreme Court’s 2019 directives. It asked the Assam Forest Department and KAAC to bring the matter to the high court’s attention immediately.
As part of its recommendations, the CEC asked KAAC to submit a watershed drainage analysis report by October 2025, mapping all water channels that drain into the park. It prohibited KAAC from issuing any new mining leases or settlements in the area until watershed boundaries are verified. It also told the council to file quarterly status reports through the chief secretary, detailing action taken on reported violations.
Last year, a complaint to the CEC had flagged rampant mining in catchment areas around the park.
Concerns over rampant illegal mining near Kaziranga had earlier surfaced in 2018 when RTI and wildlife activist Rohit Choudhury flagged widespread quarrying in the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong area. In response, the National Tiger Conservation Authority submitted a report to the Assam government warning that these activities were severely affecting tiger habitats, co-predators, prey species, and crucial wildlife movement during annual floods. The NTCA urged the state to halt all mining, quarrying, and stone crushing operations in the area.
Building on Choudhury’s complaint, the CEC conducted its own investigation in 2018 and found extensive illegal mining in forest areas without mandatory clearances under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The CEC reported that mining permits issued by Karbi Anglong authorities violated both wildlife and environmental laws, particularly in critical corridors linking KNP and Karbi Anglong Hills. Many mines operated within the eco-sensitive zone without approval from the National Board for Wildlife. The report warned of irreversible ecological damage, including siltation of streams, destruction of farmland, and disruption of wildlife movement due to steep hill cuts.
Kaziranga National Park and the adjoining Karbi Anglong Hills form a crucial wildlife corridor, facilitating the movement of animals, especially during the monsoon floods. However, rampant illegal mining in the Karbi Anglong region has severely disrupted these natural pathways, hindering animals from accessing traditional highland refuges. In 2019, following the SC ban on mining activities, there was a notable resurgence of wildlife reclaiming these corridors. Reports from that period had highlighted sightings of elephants, deer, and even tigers in areas previously dominated by quarrying operations.
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