Guwahati, Nov. 1 -- In a glaring indictment of the Assam Forest Department's failure to protect wildlife habitats, large-scale hill cutting and the alleged filling of an elephant watering site have been reported in the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary, barely a few metres from the protected area's boundary and adjacent to Guwahati city.

What makes the incident particularly alarming is that the department's own communication identifies the area as an active elephant corridor. Yet, despite the use of excavators to cut hills and dumper trucks to transport the excavated soil, forest officials allegedly allowed the activity to continue for weeks without effective intervention.

The site, located in the Amsing-Jorabat are...