Guwahati: The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) authorities in June 2022 had installed a total of 72 sensor-based cameras, six in nine designated animal corridors including Haldibari, Kanchanjuri and Panbari of the famed park, in order to detect the speed of vehicles crossing through the 40-kilometer Rengali to Borjuri stretch on the National Highway 37.
The KNPTR, known worldwide for its one-horned rhinoceros population, had fixed a maximum speed limit of 40 kilometer per hour for vehicles crossing the 40-kilometer stretch of the highway that bisects the National Highway 37, with an aim to avoid frequent deaths of wild animals, after being run over by speeding vehicles, and allow free movement of animals.
The state-of-the-art cameras, equipped with automatic number plate recognizing radar, for determination of speed of the passing vehicles, were installed along the National Highway 37 that passes along the southern boundaries of the Park, and finally became operational on June 10, 2022.
After installation of these hi-tech cameras, the Park authorities began to regulate the speed limit of vehicles, especially when the annual floods submerge a major portion of the park, with the animals straying out of the park, in search of high land and food.
Speeding vehicles on the highway often claim the lives of animals, especially when Kaziranga is flooded and the animals cross the road to reach the highlands.
Floods claimed the lives of hundreds of animals in the KNPTR. Over 440 animals, including the highly endangered one-horned rhino, had been killed in flood-related incidents in one of the worst-ever 2012 floods that submerged 90 percent of the park area, forcing the poor animals to go to the nearby Karbi Anglong Hills after crossing the National Highway.
The majority of the animals killed were 379 hog deer. The bodies of 441 animals, including seven rhinos and nine swamp deer were found in the flooded national park.
On the other hand, two rhinos, who may have escaped the rising waters, had been poached in nearby hills.
Park workers working relentlessly rescued 94 animals stranded in the waterlogged park. It was the worst flood in the state since 1998.
As per the orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), it was made mandatory for anyone driving their vehicles above the 40 kilometer per hour speed limit to be penalized.
The NGT also decided to book vehicles for violation of Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), on over speeding vehicles through the 40-kilometer park area.
After enactment of these provisions, any vehicle, which was booked, particularly for over speeding and killing or injuring animals, was fined an environmental compensation of Rs 5,000 per incident, over and above the amount to be paid for an offence under the Motor Vehicles Act.
Things went on smoothly as per plan for about a few months but suddenly all of these hi-tech cameras became non-functional in February 2023.
Datalogic, the company, which was given the contract for its installation and operation, has reportedly stopped its service as park authorities have not released payment to the Hyderabad-based company.
The Hyderabad-based company was entrusted with the task of installing a total of 21 items including optical cameras, thermal cameras, speed sensors, speed radars besides others, reportedly at a cost of Rs 16 crore.
If sources are to be believed, at least five of the staff members, engaged by Datalogic for maintenance of these utmost important sensor cameras for the park, have left for their homes in Hyderabad, as they were deprived of their remuneration for long.
“The authorities installed sensor cameras in and around the park, spending several crores of Rupees. After installation of these sensor cameras, speed-limit of the vehicles came down drastically but unfortunately enough, these sensor camera have not been working for over two months now, enabling the vehicle drivers to drive at an speed of over 100 kilometer per hour, thus posing a threat to the wild animals of the park, which often crosses the National Highway, said a local students’ union leader Ananta Gogoi.”
The students’ union leader urged the state government to immediately repair or replace the sensor-lights so that they are immediately brought back into work.
When ABP Live tried to contact Jatindra Sarma, Field Director of the Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve, he said, “I have no knowledge about these cameras and I don’t look after them.”
Ironically, the much-awaited multi-crore project, which had been installed only in June last year, still awaits repair and people to operate them, so as to provide and ensure safety of the precious assets of the park through which the state of Assam is earning revenue, both from the domestic as well as the foreign tourists.
Interestingly, the state government often boasts of the park whenever there is a big footfall of tourists in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
KNPTR is in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the Northeastern state of Assam. The park hosts two-thirds of the world's one-horned rhinoceros.
Kaziranga is famous for the Big Five namely the Rhinoceros, Tiger, Elephant, Asiatic Wild Buffalo and the Eastern Swamp Deer.
According to the 2022 Rhino census, the national park boasts of an estimated 2,613 one-horned rhinoceros, which is the highest in the world. It also has the highest density of Royal Bengal Tigers in India.