Guwahati: All it took was 25 yellow ‘X’ signs ominously painted on the 200-year-old trees adorning the banks of the historic Dighalipukhuri tank in the heart of Guwahati to trigger denizens’ bottled-up angst against chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s plans for the city’s facelift at the expense of centuries-old trees.
Such collective civilian momentum, in the form of peaceful protests at Dighalipukhuri against the strongman chief minister starting last week, had not been witnessed since his ascension to the state’s helm in 2021.
Following the protests, as well as an RTI query filed by a local resident, a PIL filed by a journalist and two others, and a petition to the chief justice of the Gauhati high court by Assam’s leader of opposition, Sarma assured people of his commitment to the city’s heritage and the environment.
The trees around the Dighalipukhuri tank were marked in connection with Sarma’s ambitious plan for the construction of a new 5.44 km flyover – touted as the city’s 11th flyover and the longest in the state – which began in October 2023. The four-lane elevated corridor from Dighalipukhuri to Noonmati is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2026 at an estimated cost of Rs 852.68 crore.
While Sarma has made multiple plans to build flyovers in Guwahati since he became chief minister, these were met with few protests. However, public angst reached its zenith on October 28 as local authorities marked the 25 old trees around the Dighalipukhuri tank for felling.
A tree with the yellow ‘X’ marks. Photo: Aaranyak/Facebook.
On October 29, the angst spilled onto the streets as residents of Dighalipukhuri took out a protest at the historic site in the hundreds. The protest then transformed into a wider outpour, a cornucopia of a civil resistance comprising individuals from different walks of life.
After October 29, young people from across the city as well as other parts of the state came together in opposition. A cluster of WhatsApp groups mobilised events such an open mic night, an art exhibition, the planting of tree saplings within the premises of the tank and the ribboning of trees.
Sangeeta Das, a grassroots activist, said, “This is a powerful expression of the people’s long-suppressed anger. The unchecked cutting of trees and unplanned construction projects, undertaken without public consultation, have ignited this outpouring of frustration. This movement has presented a direct challenge to the Sarma-led BJP government, with a strong, united front. It prompted Sarma to address the issue on X.”
Arshel Akhter, an active member of the Save Dighalipukhuri community, said, “As a symbol of hope and collective voice against government apathy towards the environment in the name of development, I believe this is a systemic issue and we must act to reduce the need for constant protests by people to be heard.”
Actor Arghadeep Barua of the critically acclaimed Assamese film Aamis said, “We are not against development. But we are human beings. This protest for Dighalipukhuri is about reclaiming our rights through art and peace and music.”
And on October 30, Sarma posted on X, “In constructing the flyovers from Dighalupukhuri [sic] 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.”
Gauhati high court issues notice; RTI shows no environmental assessment done
After hearing the PIL filed by the two journalists in connection with the felling of the trees, the Gauhati high court issued notice to the state government on November 5, directing it to file an affidavit on its decision to cut trees older than a century. The court also noted that the PIL was of great importance.
Sarma’s plan also suffered a setback when the Union environment ministry on November 1 asked the Assam forest department to examine the claims and allegations about the wanton felling of the pre-colonial trees, and to take action as per legal provisions.
Tridib Borah, a retired chemical engineer from Dighalipukhuri, filed an RTI query about the flyover in August to the office of the executive engineer of Assam’s Public Works Roads Department.
The reply to his queries, provided on October 22, showed that there was no environmental assessment being carried out and no public hearing conducted. It said that 21 trees would be impacted, with some completely uprooted and some trimmed.
Speaking to The Wire, Borah said, “It clearly shows there is a complete lack of transparency. I am not sure there will be 21 trees that will be cut. I suspect there could be more trees to be chopped off. The only hope we can rely on now is on Sarma’s assurance.”
A protest against the possible felling of trees for the flyover. Photo: X/@AkhterArshel.
Assam leader of opposition Debabrata Saikia’s seven-page petition in the matter delves into the impact the exercise would have on the avian species that dwell in the plethora of trees adorning the tank and its neighbouring areas.
According to Jayaditya Purkayastha, a conservationist and founder of Help Earth, an NGO working for Guwahati’s fragile and endangered animal species, a variety of birds are found in the mighty canopy of the old trees.
He told The Wire that planting saplings to compensate for cutting the trees around the tank may not make up for the loss to the area’s greenery.
“My point is that cutting a tree and planting saplings are not equal. Nobody knows if a sapling will grow or withstand changes, whereas the standing tree has a proven track record and took ages to be what it is now. So we cannot compensate just by planting,” he said.
Sarma’s drive of transforming Guwahati through flyovers
Since 2021, Sarma has been relentless in devising plans for flyovers. Around 3,000 trees have been felled in Guwahati and its adjoining areas during the last three years for the construction of flyovers and a national highway, according to a recent Times of India report.
A proposed expansion plan, near Sluice Gate in west Guwahati along the Brahmaputra, led to locals protesting over the incessant cutting of trees on October 30. On August 27, it was reported that over 180 trees were to be axed for a flyover.
Local residents had also protested against the axing of many trees that had lined the stretch of the Shraddhanjali flyover, which was inaugurated in 2023.
In 2022, work commenced towards expanding the four-lane Guwahati bypass to a six-lane one. It was reported that over 2,600 trees were to be felled, but the National Highway Authority of India claimed that only 1,000 trees were uprooted and planted elsewhere.
Concerned denizens have also argued since 2021 that the incessant construction of new flyovers was rapidly depleting the city’s natural vistas, stifling traffic congestion and increasing PM 2.5 across Guwahati.
Dighalipukhuri among ‘chief monuments’ of ancient Guwahati
While the trees surrounding the Dighalipukhuri tank are over a century old, the waterbody itself is much older.
During the time of the Ahom dynasty, the tank was used by royals as an inland harbour that was then connected to the Brahmaputra river through a channel. One legend even says the tank’s history goes back to the time of the Mahabharata.
According to historian Kanak Lal Baruah’s 1933 book Early History of Kamarupa, the Dighalipukhuri tank “and the various shrines within the town” could be counted as among the “chief existing monuments of the old city of Pragjyotishpur.”
The Ambari locality within which the tank is located also has its fair share of history. Digging conducted here in the late 1960s to build the RBI’s offices revealed remains of sculptures, including those of Hindu gods, and later excavations unearthed fragments that could date back to the 2nd or 3rd centuries BCE, Manjil Hazarika, assistant professor of archaeology at Guwahati’s Cotton University, told The Wire.
Of the channel that once connected the Dighalipukhuri tank with the Brahmaputra, Hazarika wrote in a 2022 journal article that it “must have been used in the pre-Ahom period for different trade activities operated from the site of Ambari adjacent to Dighalipukhuri. The presence of a good amount of utilitarian pottery, stone bowls, grinding stones and beads at Ambari and surrounding pinpoints the area used for residential purposes as well [sic].”
This article was updated at 2:55 pm on November 10 to add a quote from Purkayastha and more information about the tank’s history.