Guwahati: Amid concerns over illegal coal mining along the Assam–Arunachal Pradesh border, senior journalist and environmental activist Apurba Ballav Goswami has urged the Assam government to notify five reserved forests in Upper Assam as wildlife sanctuaries to strengthen statutory protection in the ecologically sensitive belt adjoining Dehing Patkai National Park.
In a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma through the Golaghat Deputy Commissioner on February 16, Goswami flagged illegal rat-hole mining in forest ranges such as Jagun, Lekhapani and Margherita. He referred specifically to the Jagun Range under the Doomdoma Forest Division in Tinsukia district, stating that mining activities were affecting forest areas contiguous with the 231.65 sq. km national park.
The memorandum proposed that Tinkopani, Tipong, Tirap, Saleki and Makumpani reserved forests be upgraded to wildlife sanctuaries. It suggested that Tirap and Tinkopani Reserved Forests be taken up on priority, given their contiguity and location along the inter-state boundary.
According to the representation, sanctuary notification would provide a higher degree of statutory protection and strengthen enforcement against unauthorised extraction. It also referred to the importance of safeguarding wildlife habitats, elephant corridors and river systems in the coal-bearing zone of Upper Assam.
A former forest official associated with the Digboi Division said that enhanced legal protection could help curb human interference in vulnerable stretches. A wildlife activist from Tinsukia district pointed to recurring jurisdictional ambiguities along parts of the Assam–Arunachal Pradesh border, including near the Leka Haka stream, and said clearly notified protected area boundaries could aid governance.
The memorandum cited recent judicial and policy developments relating to protected areas. In November 2025, the Supreme Court of India directed that mining be prohibited within one kilometre of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
Goswami said he has sought urgent intervention to protect the forest belt from illegal mining and ecological degradation.
The forests identified in the memorandum form part of Assam’s coal-bearing tracts along the border with Arunachal Pradesh, an area that has witnessed concerns over unauthorised mining in recent years.