Citizens in Assam’s capital Guwahati carried out a protest on October 29, against the construction of a flyover that involved the felling of trees near Dighalipukhuri, a historically and culturally significant human-made tank. Hundreds of people took to the streets after the city administration marked 28 trees with yellow crosses along its banks. The trees were marked to be felled later for the construction of the 5.44-kilometre flyover from Dighalipukhuri to Noonmati, the longest in Assam till date.

The work on the four-lane Dighalipukhuri-Noonmati flyover, also known as the GNB flyover, with an estimated cost of Rs. 852.68 crores (Rs. 8.52 billion), began in October 2023.

Following the protests, on October 30, the state’s chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X (formerly Twitter) urging all the stakeholders to “allow the Public Works Department a few days to explore an alternative proposal and assess its feasibility.” Later, on November 5, Sarma visited the construction site and announced certain modifications to the plan of the flyover. “Now, the flyover will descend at Dighalipukhuri from Noonmati and will have to climb at Lamb Road,” Sarma announced.

Meanwhile, some activists say that these protests have evolved into a greater public movement to raise awareness about environment and conservation among the people of Guwahati.

When trees make way for roads

In the last three years, about 3,000 trees have been felled across Guwahati and its outskirts for the construction of flyovers and expansion of highways, according to media reports.

Sangeeta Das, an activist involved with the protests in Dighalipukhuri, told Mongabay India that the protests have been a spontaneous people’s movement and did not involve any political affiliation. “We also carried out a night vigil around the trees in Dighalipukhuri, as we were sceptical that if the protestors left the site, the government might cut down the trees. Artists, singers and poets also joined the movement and expressed their emotions through their art.”

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the proposed felling of trees was also filed in the Gauhati High Court by Mahesh Deka, a journalist, Chandan Kumar Borgohain, a fact checker and Jayanta Gogoi, an activist.

This movement against the felling of trees later spread to other parts of the city such as  Bharalumukh, where the government had marked 74 trees with yellow crosses, as they needed to be felled for the construction of a Railway Over Bridge (ROB). “We require the ROB for the ease of movement, but not at the cost of so many trees,” said Nejib Ahmed from Guwahati, who was part of the protests. “We also protested on the streets and formed a human chain around the trees.”

Ahmed added that on November 17, representatives from the protestors met the Public Works Department (PWD) officials who assured them that they were devising a new plan for the ROB under which only a minimal number of trees (eight to 10) would be felled.

Dighalipukhuri, where Guwahati drew the line

Dighalipukhuri, a rectangular pond about half a mile long, surrounded by important landmarks such as  Gauhati High Court, Rabindra Bhawan, State Museum, Handique College and parts of Cotton University, is an integral part of Guwahati’s history.

Dighalipukhuri is surrounded by trees such as Cassia (Senna siamen), rain tree (Samanea saman), false Ashoka (Monoon longifolium), peepal (Ficus religiosa), yellow flame (Peltophorum pterocarpum) and banyan (Ficus benghalensis). It is also a favourite spot for birders in the city. On October 30, the Assam Bird Monitoring Network (ABMN), which organises the annual bird count in the state, had arranged a bird walk in Dighalipukhuri. Rupam Bhaduri, co-founder of ABMN, said that despite the rains that day they managed to find 35 species including four migratory species – white wagtail, yellow-browed warbler, taiga flycatcher and black kite. “The trees around Dighalipukhuri are important because they are also the nesting site for many avian species of the city,” he said.

According to the Public Works (Roads) website, the Assam government decided on the elevated corridor project on GNB Road, in order to minimise traffic congestion. However, the construction of the said elevated corridor also proposed the construction of two arms, i.e, on Tayabullah Road (390 metres) and West Dighalipukhuri Road (250 metres) which connect with the elevated corridor which is under construction.

In response to an RTI query filed by Sabina Sharma, an activist, the PWD stated that there was neither any public hearing nor any environment impact assessment regarding the project.

Mahesh Deka, who filed the petition at the Gauhati High Court, told Mongabay India, “This entire plan (GNB flyover) will require the felling of many trees adorning the banks of Dighalipukhuri, many of them aged more than 100 years. These trees, apart from having great esthetic and historical importance, are also home to many birds and insect species.”

On November 13, Paban Terang, Secretary, PWD, on behalf of the Assam government, filed an affidavit, stating that the Dighalipukhuri-Noonmati flyover (GNB flyover) was proposed to tackle the increasing traffic in the heart of Guwahati. It was admitted in the affidavit that for the construction of the aforesaid two arms, some trees to be affected on both sides of Dighalipukhuri were identified and marked. However, Terang also stated in the affidavit that a company named Sisodia Building Lifting Works, Haryana, was asked to examine the feasibility of transplanting the trees by a few metres in the same location or some other suitable location of the city. However, owing to protests in Dighalipukhuri, the plan to translocate the trees has been cancelled.

The affidavit highlighted chief minister Sarma’s visit on November 5 and the proposed amendments to the flyover plan as a result of which trees around Dighalipikhuri would neither be cut nor transplanted. Noting that the grievance of the petitioner had been redressed, the High Court closed the PIL.

Mina Ram Nath, a retired lecturer of Botany at Cotton University, stated that the government’s plan to transplant the trees was never going to work. “These trees have a unique history,” she said. “Some of the saplings here were brought from England. You can transplant a 20-30-year-old tree but not those which are already more than 100 years old, because their root systems have become very intricate. Those are not trees anymore, they have become entire ecosystems supporting birds, insects and other microorganisms.”

Flyovers and traffic congestion

Guwahati, a sprawling metropolis, is the largest city in Northeast India and is considered as a gateway to the region. According to the 2011 census, the city had a population of over nine lakh (900,000) people. Some sources estimate the city’s current population to be above 13 lakhs (13,00,000).

Earlier this year, while laying the foundation stone, Sarma said the Dighalipukhuri-Noonmati flyover was needed to solve the traffic congestion.

However, transport planner Rituraj Sharma, argues that merely building flyovers will not solve traffic congestion. “In modern transport practice, flyovers are not considered as good traffic solutions. Building more flyovers will not reduce the number of vehicles in the city,” he added. “Ultimately, the congestion will happen elsewhere. In a few years, the newly built flyovers will get choked up. Congestion can be reduced by cutting down on vehicles. The government is using Rs. 852 crores to build just one flyover. A fraction of this money could have been used to improve the public transport network in the city.”

Sharma also said that the authorities need to encourage walking and non-motorised transport such as cycling.

Arshel Akhter, one of the members of the ‘Save Dighalipukhuri Movement’, a group created during the protests, has been advocating for sustainable urban transport. Akhter is the Bicycle Mayor of Guwahati, appointed by the Amsterdam-based non-profit Bicycle Mayor Network (BCYS), that aims to use bicycle mayors across the world to work as a public mediator between government officials, urban planners and commuters. He also expressed his reservations about flyovers, “So many flyovers have been built in Guwahati, but there is no evidence that they have eased traffic woes in the city,” he said.

The urban wilderness of Guwahati

Guwahati is surrounded by 18 hills, eight reserve forests and two wildlife sanctuaries. According to government data, Guwahati is home to 36 species of mammals, 60 species of fishes, 25 species of amphibians, 53 species of reptiles and 212 species of birds.

“Till the 1970s, tigers were seen in the hills of Kalapahar, Fatasil Ambari, Panjabari and Khanapara,” said Anwaruddin Choudhury, an environmentalist. “The last tigers were reported in Guwahati in early 2000s. Wild elephants are still found within city limits. They regularly move into the army cantonment area in Narengi. In the 70’s they used to come till Hengerabari through Narengi and Panjabari. Also, Indian bison or gaurs were found in Aamchang forest and were also seen in places like Bonda, Narengi, Noonmati etc.”

The Gangetic river dolphin, which was officially declared as the city animal of Guwahati in 2016 by the Assam government, can be seen swimming in the river Brahmaputra. Deer and foxes are spotted regularly in many areas even now. During the Covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdown, civets and hornbills were also spotted in the city.

Guwahati was also once a prime habitat for leopards. Wildlife activist Mubina Akhtar told Mongabay India that in the 90s, leopards were spotted regularly in Guwahati. “They mainly live in the hills around the city which provide them natural passage. But with increased urbanisation and construction activities, that connectivity is getting lost, which is hampering their habitat. While there are still some leopards left in the city, if we don’t save the remaining patch of forests in Guwahati, we might lose these animals as well.”

Meanwhile, Arshel Akhter, commenting on the outcome of the protests, said that he views Dighalipukhuri as a small tactical concession given by the government. “Ultimately, we need systemic changes. We have already seen the impact of large-scale felling of trees in Guwahati such as reduced rainfall, longer summers etc. This year, the temperature in Guwahati soared to 40 degrees Celsius. The success of the protest lies in the fact that it evolved into a greater movement to raise awareness about environmental conservation, biodiversity, citizen rights, urban planning concept, waste management, climate change and community building among the people of Guwahati.”

Banner image: Citizens protest at Dighalipukhuri against the felling of trees for a flyover. Image by Arshel Akhter.

Credits

Priyanka Shankar Editor

Topics

Cities and TownsEnvironmentAssamIndia

See Topics