Illegal mining near Kaziranga intensified despite SC ban: CEC

The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has told the Supreme Court that illegal mining has continued and intensified in Assam's Parkup Pahar area near the Kaziranga National Park, despite a 2019 top court order banning all mining and related activities in and around the park's eco-sensitive zone.

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Kaziranga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to around 65 per cent of the endangered one-horned rhino population in the world. It forms part of an important wildlife corridor between the Brahmaputra floodplains and the Karbi Anglong hills.

The Supreme Court, acting on earlier findings by the CEC, had prohibited all mining and related activities in this region to prevent degradation of critical wildlife habitats and forested landscapes.