Assam chief minister assures to reconsider cutting century-old trees for Guwahati flyover

Guwahati: A day after the protest of civil society groups comprising prominent personalities of the state, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa sarma on Wednesday announced that his government has decided to reconsider its plan to cut down dozens of century-old trees in capital city to construct a flyover.

The chief minister’s announcement came after leading civil society members, including prominent citizens and film personalities, on Tuesday registered their strong opposition to a government plan to chop off nearly 25 trees, some of them as old as 200 years along the bank of Dighalipukhuri for the ongoing mega flyover project.

The chief minister in a social media post said, “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.”

The government is constructing a four-lane 5.05 km long flyover, the longest in the city, from Dighalipukhuri to Noonmati at a cost of Rs 852.68 crore. It is scheduled to be operational by 2026.

The prominent citizens who came out in protest on Tuesday submitted a petition to the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court and requested him to take suo motu cognisance of the matter, which is very important for the welfare of the environment.

The citizens united under the banner of “Concerned Citizens of Guwahati”, also submitted a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office, urging intervention in what they described as a critical environmental issue.

The letter emphasised that cutting down the trees would deprive the area of its title as the “lungs of Guwahati” and diminish its scenic charm.