Dibrugarh, Dec 17: The Bogapani Elephant Corridor in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district, once recognised as Asia’s largest elephant corridor, has not witnessed elephant movement for several years after the safe passage was encroached upon by human habitation.
The encroachment has severely restricted elephant movement, resulting in a rise in human–elephant conflict in nearby villages.
The Bogapani Elephant Corridor in Tinsukia is about 3 km long, with a width ranging from 0.5 to 1 km, and serves as a vital passage connecting elephant habitats between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. However, it faces multiple threats, including National Highway 38 and railway lines.
“The Bogapani Elephant Corridor has always been a safe passage for elephants from the Dehing Patkai forests of Assam, connecting them to the forests of Arunachal Pradesh. But after illegal encroachment, elephant movement has stopped. Earlier, herds of 150–200 elephants crossed the corridor, which locals called ‘Hati Mela’ because it looked like an elephant market. Now, we no longer witness such movement,” said Ramesh Tanti, a local resident.
He added, “Now elephant movement is restricted, and they move towards human habitation, resulting in conflict. Recently, many people were killed in elephant attacks in Tinsukia district. Elephants from Dehing Patkai move towards Arunachal forests and then return to their original areas.”
Locals have also expressed concern for the elephants, noting that there has historically been coexistence between humans and elephants in the region. For generations, people lived alongside elephants and treated them as friends. However, the situation has changed as humans have illegally occupied forest areas and constructed houses, obstructing elephant movement and increasing conflict.
To address the issue, a meeting was held in Digboi on November 9, 2025, where encroachment and the blocking of elephant corridors were discussed.
“The protection of elephant corridors is necessary for the free movement of elephants. Most elephant corridors in Tinsukia have been encroached upon. The Golai elephant corridor has been fully encroached, and the Bogapani corridor has been blocked. Recently, an awareness meeting was held with participation from the forest department and other concerned departments, where detailed discussions took place on freeing elephant corridors from human encroachment,” said wildlife conservationist Devajit Moran.
He further said, “The Golai corridor, one of the most important elephant movement areas, was severely affected due to heavy encroachment by humans and Indian Oil Corporation Limited. A corridor that was once a safe passage for elephants has been disrupted.”
“For the past several years, we have tracked elephant movement and observed that due to obstructions in corridors like Bogapani and Golai, elephant movement from Dehing Patkai has been restricted. As a result, elephants are entering village areas, leading to conflict. Community participation is essential to address this issue. We have conducted several awareness programmes in villages and shared the real problem with residents. Some villagers are willing to help,” Moran said.
Wildlife biologist Kashmira Kakati has filed a petition before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), alleging that the state government allowed Indian Oil Corporation Limited to construct an oil dispatch terminal in the Golai elephant corridor in violation of environmental laws.
The petition stated that the terminal would not only block the corridor used by elephants but also increase vehicular traffic in the area, further harming the environment.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Digboi, B.V. Sandeep said, “The Bogapani elephant corridor is one of the lifelines for elephant movement. However, due to encroachment by people, the corridor has been affected. Following the petition filed by wildlife biologist Kashmira Kakati, the NGT directed that patches crucial for elephant movement be freed. However, it has been observed that people continue to enter the area and construct houses. Community participation is the need of the hour to resolve this issue.”
“We recently organised a meeting to address the problem, and the forest department is taking a series of measures to mitigate the issue. Our forest teams are monitoring elephant movement closely,” he said.
He added, “The problem can only be resolved through shared commitment. People must understand that elephant movement has been affected and, as a result, human–elephant conflict is rising.”
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Elephants have been original inhabitants in this region for hundreds of years long before human settlers invaded their land. I know. Tinsukia is my place of birth,