BOKAKHAT: More than 1,000 people took part in a mass rally in Bokakhat on Sunday, demanding a zero-width Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) in inhabited areas surrounding Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve and land rights for indigenous residents.
The rally was organised by the Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK), Mising Mimang Kebang (MMK) and Takam Mising Miming Kebang (TMMK). Residents from 12 villages around Kaziranga, along with representatives of various social and political organisations, participated in the gathering.
Addressing the gathering, TMPK central president Tilak Doley said conservation efforts should focus on protecting uninhabited areas while populated areas should be excluded from the ESZ.
The organisations also demanded that Green Cards held by indigenous people residing in forest areas be converted into land pattas without conditions.
The protesters argued that residents should not lose their traditional land rights merely because their holdings fall within grazing areas, PGR or VGR lands.
A memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister through the Bokakhat Sub-District Assistant Commissioner sought village-specific demarcation of the ESZ instead of applying a uniform distance across the entire area.
The memorandum also raised land-right concerns involving around 250 Mising families in Barbill and No. 2 Shildubi, besides seeking a resolution to the Negheribil boundary dispute and regularisation of land holdings in Panbari.
Following the meeting, the participants marched through Bokakhat town, raising slogans in support of land rights and a zero-width ESZ in inhabited areas.
The ESZ issue around Kaziranga has remained a contentious subject, with conservation concerns on one side and demands for protection of the land and livelihood rights of communities living around the protected area on the other.