r/india

I saw a powerful video (of a different forest) where an elephant is confronting a JCB machine. The operator doesn’t even care that the shaft is hurting the elephant. It put its body on the line to protect its home. I couldn’t sleep for so long and teared up thinking about the state of our country and how many ecologically important zones are being cleared out just for profit in the last 5 years. Why do we need another Hyatt? Why do we think it’s alright to encroach on animals’ homes because they can’t defend themselves? What can we do when governments don’t care? Why are we not discussing the people who will suffer with the SEZ reduction? This whole move benefits no one but luxury hospitality and the elite. I have emailed, called and tried to record my objection to this as a citizen but nothing feels enough. I am tired of people calling all of this ‘development’. We have some time before this takes place, what else can we do?

(For those who are not aware, the Assam government has proposed reducing the Eco-Sensitive zone around Kaziranga from 10km to 1km. This is not simply a number. Kaziranga lies in the Brahmaputra floodplain and flooding is a natural part of this ecosystem. When this happens, the animals move to the higher Karbi-Anglong hills.

The problem is that if this SEZ reduces to 1km, wildlife will be forced outside the park during floods and become more exposed to human activity (roads, hotels, traffic) where they can even face hunting or retaliation if they damage anything.)