Supreme Court demands Assam’s timeline for Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary boundary demarcation, expressing concern over the 25-year delay. Activist Rohit Choudhury’s plea underscores unmarked boundaries and delayed control transfer to the Forest department
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NEW DELHI: On 26th February, the Supreme Court expressed its astonishment over the delay in demarcating the boundaries of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, a process that has been pending for over two decades since its notification in 1998. The court, comprising a three-judge bench including Justice B R Gavai and Justice Sandeep Nath, emphasized the urgency of the matter to the Assam government, highlighting the critical nature of the sanctuary’s boundary definition for wildlife conservation.
The bench remarked-
“It is really surprising that though the wildlife sanctuary was notified in the year 1998, for a period of 25 years even the boundaries are not demarcated. We hope that the state will consider the issue with the urgency that it requires. We may put the state on notice that the failure to do so would entail serious consequences.”
This statement underscores the court’s concern and its call for immediate action to safeguard the sanctuary’s integrity.
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The state’s counsel, Nalin Kohli, requested a two-week period to provide a timeline for the completion of the boundary demarcation, as per the original notification dated March 17, 1998. This request comes after the Assam government missed the court’s previous deadline to file an affidavit, further delaying the process.
The plea, initiated by environmental activist Rohit Choudhury, seeks to enforce the precise demarcation of the sanctuary’s boundary to prevent further encroachments and ensure the protection of its rich biodiversity. Choudhury’s petition also highlights the failure to declare the area surrounding the sanctuary as an eco-sensitive zone, a directive issued by the Supreme Court in 2018, which remains unaddressed.
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