The Pulse | Environment | South Asia

Assam Government Encroaches Into a World Heritage Site in India’s Northeast

The encroached area is part of Manas National Park’s core tiger and Bengal florican habitats.

Manas National Park in Mathanguri, India.

Manas National Park in the northeast Indian state of Assam is in danger. The Assam government, which should be protecting this 1,176-acre World Heritage Site, has encroached on the park for several years.

Originally part of the North Kamrup Reserve Forest, the land under contention, which is spread over 9.3 sq km, was given on a 30-year lease to the Indian government for setting up a seed farm. After the lease expired in 2001, the area became part of the Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve, the Assam forest department said in a letter to the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) that governs this region.

In the letter, the Assam forest department pointed out that the BTC had leased the encroached land for cultivation. Sources claimed that local farmers are engaged in farming in the area, which is officially not permitted inside a wildlife sanctuary, national park or World Heritage Site. The letter made a case for its handover to the forest department. The forest department also urged the Assam government to convince the BTC to return the encroached area to the Assam forest department

The area that has been allegedly encroached by local farmers with the BTC’s consent is part of the Manas National Park’s core tiger and Bengal florican habitats. This falls in the Bhuyanpara Range of the park, which is also where the erstwhile government-owned Kokilabari Seed Farm was located.

Concerned about the encroachment and its devastating impact on the park, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has also been reminding the Assam government to initiate action over the past few years.

In a communique dated July 30, 2026, which was also posted on social media, the NTCA asked the chief secretary of the Assam government to “intervene” and facilitate the “handing over” of the encroached area to the Manas Tiger Reserve authorities. It also reminded the government that a directive on the issue had been sent on June 11, but the authority was “not aware about the progress made in the matter so far.”

Manas National Park was designated as a reserve forest in 1907 and declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1928. In 1973, it........

© The Diplomat