Guwahati: Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia has sought the intervention of the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court to order a temporary suspension of construction of the flyover between the Dighalipukhuri and Noonmati area, which according to him has led to multiple environmental and civic issues.
Saikia on Saturday sent a petition to Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court Justice Vijay Bishnoi and said that the construction works regarding the flyover between Dighalipukhuri to Noonmati area of Guwahati city has become counterproductive and detrimental to the public in many ways.
"The quality of life and environmental stability have been jeopardized by the continuous construction works which have resulted in significant air and noise pollution, prolonged traffic congestion, dust pollution, water logging in the neighbouring communities and even systematic displacement of innumerable numbers of vendors from their livelihood," Saikia said in his petition.
It may be recalled that the proposed construction of the flyover, which necessitated the felling of some over 100-year-old trees around Dighalipukhuri, had already drawn ire from the citizens of Guwahati. The citizens from different walks of life had also staged a protest against the government's move to fell about 25 trees following which the government asked the public works department to explore alternatives to construct the flyover without felling the trees.
"The amount of dust and particulate matter in the air has significantly increased due to construction operations. Residents are suffering the most from the deteriorating air quality. Data indicates that the airborne particulate matter levels around Dighalipukhuri and Noonmati have risen to a point where there is a direct risk to public health," said Saikia while referring to news reports on the air quality in Guwahati. He also pointed towards the World Air Quality Report 2023 by IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitoring group, which has ranked Guwahati as the second most polluted city in the world.
Saikia said that ongoing construction works in the city have led to significant traffic congestion as the authorities have already built a significant number of pillars that have taken up a large portion of the main road. Traffic congestion has also worsened during peak hours adding undue stress and delays for daily commuters, he added.
Quoting a media report, Saikia further said that the project has led to the uprooting of trees, and the destruction of greeneries and all these have been done without assessing the potential long term degradation of local biodiversity that may be caused by this project. "The removal of trees to accommodate construction has left the area more vulnerable to heat, reduced air quality and loss of habitat for several species," said the Leader of the Opposition urging the Chief Justice to intervene and suspend the construction until suitable measures are implemented to address the multiple environmental and civic issues arising from the project.
Read more: Assam Flyover Row: Govt Explores Alternative Proposal after Protests by Civil Society and Students
