Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court on Tuesday directed the Assam government to present its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for tree translocation and felling in construction projects.
The order, issued by the bench of Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Michael Zothankhuma came during the hearing of a PIL filed by senior journalist Mahesh Deka and activist Jayanta Gogoi flagging concerns over translocation of trees in the Ambari area for the elevated GNB Road Flyover project .
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The court’s attention was drawn to the potential loss of numerous trees due to the flyover construction. In response, Assam’s Advocate General Devajit Saikia assured the Court that the project alignment would be modified to largely avoid tree felling or translocation at the specific site.
KN Choudhury, senior counsel for the petitioner, confirmed that this re-alignment had indeed taken place, addressing a significant part of their initial grievance.
However, a new concern emerged regarding the translocation of mature trees, with apprehension expressed about their survival.
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Addressing this, the Advocate General informed the Court that experts had been consulted, and out of 77 identified trees, 76 had been successfully translocated and were now showing new foliage, indicating their survival.
While acknowledging this success, the Court asked the Advocate General to formally submit the detailed SOP for tree translocation and felling. The Court also sought confirmation that all current and future construction activities involving trees adhere strictly to this SOP.
The Advocate General assured the Court that an affidavit detailing the SOP and certifying the measures being taken to preserve trees during construction would be filed by the next hearing date.
The bench reiterated the critical need to strike a balance between development and environmental protection, emphasizing that “a good balance has to be struck and all care is required to be taken for preserving ecological balance and maintaining the greenery.”
The Court characterized the ongoing litigation not as an adversarial dispute but as a collective “endeavour to sustain the mother nature for the posterity.”
The case is scheduled for next hearing on August 4, 2025.