NEW DELHI, Mar 17: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a plea against an order of the Gauhati High Court which adjourned sine die a case over the protection and preservation of Kaziranga National Park.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih said the issues relating to the park, including the declaration of eco-sensitive zone, was pending before the apex court.
The bench told the petitioner’s counsel to withdraw the plea challenging the high court order and file an application in the proceedings pending before the top court.
The counsel withdrew the plea with liberty to move an appropriate plea in the apex court.
The petitioner’s counsel said the plea filed before the high court raised several issues concerning the park, including the declaration of eco-sensitive zone.
“That issue is pending before this court,” the bench observed.
In its order passed on December 6 last year, the high court adjourned the matter sine die (without a future date fixed) observing several issues relating to the national park were pending before the apex court.
The PIL filed in the high court raised several issues concerning the protection of bio-diversity and ecosystem of Kaziranga National Park including eco-fragile zone, protection of nine notified animal corridors and for action against alleged unauthorised industrial and other non-forest activity.
The petitioner alleged non-forest activity, including settlement of land within the forest area, had ramifications and referred to a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India stating a change in land pattern and other non-forest activities might wipe out the one-horned rhino to extinction.
While adjourning the matter sine die, the high court noted no material was brought before it to show that the issue relating to eco-sensitive zone with respect to Assam in general and for the Kaziranga National Park in particular was finally decided by the Supreme Court.
Aside from the rhinoceros, the park’s elephant grass, marshland and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests are home to hoolock gibbon, tiger, leopard, Indian elephants, sloth bear, wild water buffalo and swamp deer. (PTI)
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