Assam govt. moves to check hit-and-runs at Kaziranga

Assam govt. moves to check hit-and-runs at Kaziranga

Context:

• The Assam government recently informed the National Green Tribunal that State government had allocated financial assistance of a sum of Rs 11 crore for the installation of sensor-operated automated traffic barriers to check unnatural death of animals around the Kaziranga National Park.

Directions:

•  The directions came while the tribunal was hearing a plea filed by wildlife activist who opposed the widening of NH-37 which passes along the national park.

Rejection of proposal:

• Initially, the green panel had rejected the Assam government’s proposal of deploying manpower instead of installing the sensor-operated automated traffic barriers to curb the deaths.
• The tribunal said that except budgetary constraints, there was no reason for the government to deploy manpower instead of sensors.

Compensation:

•  The green panel had also highlighted that any vehicle that surpassed the 40 km speed limit would be liable to pay an environmental compensation of Rs. 5,000 apart from the fine under the Motor Vehicles Act.

About Kaziranga National Park:

• Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam.
• The sanctuary, which hosts two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses, is a World Heritage Site.
• Kaziranga is home to the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world, and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006.
•  Located on the edge of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, the park combines high species diversity and visibility.