Guwahati | Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday defended the proposed five-star hotel projects in and around Kaziranga National Park, accusing opponents of the projects of practising “double-standard politics” and misrepresenting the provisions governing Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs).

Sarma said the controversy over tourism infrastructure around Kaziranga should be viewed through the framework of existing environmental regulations rather than political allegations. Reacting to protests against the proposed hotel projects, the chief minister claimed that some of those leading the opposition to luxury hotels in Kaziranga themselves stay in such properties when they visit the area.

“Those opposing five-star hotels in Kaziranga stay in them themselves,” Sarma said, questioning the consistency of the campaign against tourism infrastructure in the region.

He said the presence of an ESZ around a protected area does not mean that all development is prohibited. According to him, the regulations primarily restrict activities that can cause serious environmental damage, including mining, chemical industries and highly polluting industries, while other activities may be permitted subject to applicable rules and safeguards.

Sarma said it was therefore necessary to examine the specific nature of a proposed project instead of treating every form of development as incompatible with conservation.

The chief minister also cited Jim Corbett and Gir as examples of wildlife destinations where tourism infrastructure has developed around protected areas. “Kaziranga is a major tourism destination. We have to understand the provisions of the Eco-Sensitive Zone and not create controversy without reading them,” he said.

Sarma accused the opposition of deliberately fuelling apprehensions over the hotel projects and suggested that the issue was being used for political purposes. He argued that tourism has an important role to play in generating employment and supporting the local economy around Kaziranga, while stressing that development must remain within the environmental framework applicable to the area.

Taking a political swipe at the Congress, Sarma alleged that the opposition had failed to protect Kaziranga adequately during its tenure and referred to issues of rhino poaching and encroachment. He said his government had taken several steps to strengthen wildlife protection and claimed that its measures had helped curb rhino poaching in the state.

The chief minister also referred to the development of an animal corridor connecting the Kaziranga landscape towards Nagaon, saying such measures were part of the government’s broader approach to balancing conservation with infrastructure and tourism development.

Sarma further claimed that the opposition’s campaign against the hotel projects could ultimately strengthen the ruling party politically, saying that people in the Kaziranga area were not supporting the protests in the manner claimed by his critics.

“If I had actually done something wrong, the people of Kohora would have come out against me,” he said.Referring to recent protests in the area, Sarma claimed that effigies of opposition leaders, rather than his own, were being burnt, which he said demonstrated the public mood in the region.

The chief minister maintained that the government was not opposed to environmental safeguards and that development proposals would have to comply with the relevant laws and regulations.The controversy over the proposed hotel projects has nevertheless brought renewed attention to the longstanding challenge of balancing tourism promotion with ecological protection around Kaziranga, one of Assam’s most important wildlife and tourism destinations.

Sarma said the debate should focus on the actual provisions of environmental regulations and the safeguards attached to individual projects rather than being driven by political accusations. He maintained that conservation and responsible tourism could go hand in hand if development was undertaken within the prescribed legal and environmental framework.