251 Kaziranga animals killed on NH 37

Assam Tribune: Guwahati: Wednesday, 30 April 2014.

In the decade between 2003 and 2013, 251 animals of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) were killed by the speeding vehicles on the National Highway 37, said the Park authorities in reply to an RTI petition filed by green activist Rohit Choudhury.

Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) had stated that it was not in possession of the original copy of the 1991 official order through which it had accorded environment clearance to the Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL). “…the original file is not traceable in the Ministry,” it said. But with the interference of the Central Information Commission, it had to find out the original file.

The Union Ministry made the above statement before the Central Information Commissioner in the wake of an application filed by Choudhury before the Information Commissioner. Earlier, Choudhury was supplied by the MoEF an illegible copy of the above order in response to his RTI application.

Choudhury is fighting for the cause of diversion of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) stretch of the National Highway 37 to the north bank of the Brahmaputra. The MoEF in its above order had directed the NRL to divert the KNP stretch of the NH-37 to the north bank of the Brahmaputra in view of the threats posed by the speeding vehicles to the National Park’s wildlife.