Guwahati: Civil society activists in Guwahati are up in arms, accusing the Assam government of a “blatant disregard for public sentiment, environmental responsibility, and a shocking reversal of earlier commitments” regarding the GNB Road flyover project.
A press conference held on Sunday in Guwahati, featuring prominent intellectuals and scholars, condemned the ongoing felling and purported “translocation” of numerous, including century-old, trees in the Ambari and Dighalipukhuri areas.
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The activists expressed profound disappointment, highlighting the government’s previous assurance, made after widespread public protest and a court case, that the flyover design would be realigned to avoid impacting any trees. This commitment, they noted, had brought significant relief to a wide cross-section of Guwahati’s citizens.
“After a period of approximately six months, the government has taken a complete U-turn despite continued protests and affidavits in Court,” stated the press release issued by the concerned citizens. “Authorities are virtually committing ‘murder’ of nearly one hundred old trees.”
A key point of contention is an affidavit submitted by the Assam government to the Gauhati High Court in November last year.
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This affidavit, presented during the height of the Dighalipukhuri protests and in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), explicitly stated that the flyover’s design would be realigned and not a single tree would be affected. Crucially, the activists pointed out, this affidavit made no mention of tree translocation or trimming.
Now, the government has reportedly cut down “bunches of several trees” and informed the high court that a total of 77 trees will be “translocated” from Ambari and Dighalipukhuri. This, the activists contend, “contradicts the earlier solemn declaration, amounting to defying the court and is a severe breach of public trust.”
Concerns were also raised about the lack of transparency and what activists termed “undemocratic tactics.” The trimming and alleged translocation activities have been undertaken “in a hush-hush manner, often under the cover of darkness in the dead of night.”
Protesting students and citizens on Saturday night were met with “undue force, detained by police, misbehaved with, and held overnight at police stations,” which the activists described as stifling democratic dissent.
The feasibility of tree translocation was also heavily scrutinized. The activists dismissed the government’s claim that no trees have been cut down, only “trimmed,” as “disingenuous,” arguing that the drastic trimming makes survival highly unlikely.
They cited a report from the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, which indicates an alarmingly low survival rate for translocated trees in India, often less than 10%. While some states report relatively higher short-term success, others like Delhi and Punjab show survival rates as low as 2%, and Jharkhand at 1.7%. The activists stressed that no research or study has been conducted for trees in Assam.
“Larger or over-mature trees tend to fail more often, and without adequate aftercare, even initially healthy transplants suffer. Translocation remains a high-cost, high-risk method with limited reliability unless implemented with strict species selection, proper technique, and sustained maintenance,” the press release highlighted.
They concluded that the government’s claims of “translocation” appear to be a “mere smokescreen to justify the felling of these invaluable trees.”
Adding to the environmental concerns, a report from Global Forest Watch was cited, indicating escalating rates of forest loss in India, with Assam exceeding the national average. In 2023-2024 alone, Assam lost approximately 16,900–18,900 hectares of natural forest, and Kamrup Metropolitan lost 104 hectares in 2024, releasing approximately 33,800 t CO?.
“Guwahati grapples with environmental challenges including poor air quality, cannot afford to lose these vital carbon sinks and ecological assets,” the activists asserted.
The press conference, held at Chandra Prabha Saikiani Bhawan, featured distinguished individuals, including Dr. Hiren Gohain, Scholar and Public Intellectual, Dr. Dinesh Chandra Goswami, Scientist and Science Writer, Dr. Apurba Kr. Barua, Social Scientist, Dr. Manorama Sharma Historian, and Shantanu Borthakur, Lawyer.
The concerned citizens strongly opposed the “so-called ‘translocation,’ which we view as nothing short of the systematic murder of old and invaluable trees.”
They called upon the Assam government to immediately halt all further tree felling and “translocation” activities, uphold its earlier commitment to the Gauhati High Court, and prioritize sustainable urban development.
They also appealed to all democratic political parties, student and youth organizations, and civil society to unite and mobilize public resistance against “this destruction of whatever greenery is left even now.”