Amidst growing protests across Guwahati against the felling of historic trees around Dighalipukhuri, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has assured that the government will preserve the city’s heritage and environment while advancing infrastructure. The protests were sparked by a recent change in the flyover’s design, which now includes the Tayabullah Road, potentially threatening the heritage and beauty of Dighalipukhuri.
Sarma stated that authorities are working to protect the old trees in the area where flyovers are being constructed from Dighalipukhuri to Noonmati. He urged stakeholders to give the Public Works Department time to explore an alternative proposal and evaluate its feasibility.
The construction of a nearly six-mile-long flyover from Reserve Bank to Noonmati has sparked widespread discontent among local residents and celebrities, including Papon Angaraag and Rima Das, who expressed anger over slashing trees in Guwahati’s Dighalipukhuri.
Authorities marked around 25 trees, including some over 200 years old, along Tayabullah Road and in front of Handique Girls’ College for felling. However, the Chief Minister’s assurance aims to alleviate concerns about the city’s heritage and environmental preservation.
By reconsidering the plan to remove century-old trees, the Assam government hopes to address the public outcry and find a balance between infrastructure development and environmental conservation.