Guwahati: Giving in to the public protests over the move to fell trees to make way for a flyover in Guwahati, the Assam government has decided to explore an alternative proposal and assess its feasibility.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on his X handle on Wednesday that their government is making sincere efforts to protect greenery. "I want to assure you that the government is deeply committed to preserving our city’s heritage and environment while advancing infrastructure. In constructing the flyovers from Dighalupukhuri to Noonmati, we are sincerely working to protect the old trees in the area. I urge all stakeholders to allow the Public Works Department a few days to explore an alternative proposal and assess its feasibility," said the Chief Minister.
The chief Minister's announcement came a day after hundreds of protestors including writers, intellectuals, thinkers, academia and people from different walks of life joined hands together on Tuesday at the Dighalipukhuri area in Guwahati on Tuesday and protested against the move.
I want to assure you that the government is deeply committed to preserving our city’s heritage and environment while advancing infrastructure. In constructing the flyovers from Dighalupukhuri to Noonmati, we are sincerely working to protect the old trees in the area. I urge all…
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 30, 2024
The citizens who had already floated an organization 'Save the Greenery and Biodiversity of Dighalipukhuri' had already sent a petition to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in this regard and decided to approach the court through a public interest litigation (PIL). Protesting citizens, while urging the government to scrap the project, said that the six-kms long flyover from near the Reserve Bank of India to Noonmati area will affect the city's green lung -Dighalipukhuri, a historical tank which was traced back to the time of Ahom rulers.
The government's plan to connect Dighalipukhuri area to Noonmati area in Guwahati through a flyover necessitated felling of 25 trees, some of which are hundreds of years old. The protestors argued that the Dighalipukhuri is one of the last remaining green lungs of the city and that felling of the trees not only will affect the city's biodiversity but also affect several heritage structures located in and around the area.
After the citizens protest on Tuesday, members of the Cotton College Students Union also staged a protest opposing the government's move to construct the flyover. The Students held a sit-in protest in Dighalipukhuri throughout the night on Tuesday.
