Guwahati: A coalition of concerned citizens, students, and political representatives on Thursday staged a vehement protest in Guwahati, decrying what they termed the “death of nature” in Assam amidst the World Environment Day 2025 celebration.
Conscious civil society organized the protest against the Assam government’s recent environmental degradation due to development projects.
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They urged the government to stop the felling of trees along the banks of Dighalipukhuri, illegal relocation of trees, protection of Dorabil in South Kamrup, and cancellation of the decision to free 150 bighas of cattle pasture land in Dorabil.
The protest at Dighalipukhuri holds particular significance, echoing a series of agitations launched last year by students and various institutions against the government’s initial decision to cut down centuries-old trees surrounding the lake near Handique College.
While spontaneous protests had forced the government to cancel that decision, activists reported that the administration ruthlessly cut down 70-80 percent of the trees in front of Dighalipukhuri’s entrance just two days prior.
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Eminent scientist Dinesh Goswami sharply criticized the government’s approach. “This government promises in court that it will not cut down trees in this area, and then suddenly cuts them down quietly at night,” Goswami lamented.
He stated that while one can sometimes relocate small trees, large, old trees require a “special process” that authorities should not do in secret.
“If the process had been easier, they would have done it transparently with the people and experts. We urge everyone to be vigilant. The government is misleading the public with the relocation of these huge old trees. In reality, the chances of a large tree surviving after relocation are less than 50%, ” Goswami added.
Educationist Manorama Sharma lamented, “The development of our country is not for the common people. This development is for Ambani-Adani. So we have the power of democratic weapons of protest. Let us all come together and protest as much as we can.”
Protesters argued that “nature destruction is not only a problem of Guwahati, it is a problem of Assam.”
They claimed that “Assam is perhaps one of the states in the world where destruction of nature takes priority long before development comes, long before development plans.”
They cited approximately 3,000 trees cut down in Guwahati for projects like the construction of the “silane road” from Jalukbari to Khanapara, beautification of Ujan Bazar, MLA residence, Zoo Road, and Six Mile.
The protesting citizens unanimously handed over a memorandum to the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) headquarters, seeking the cooperation and physical presence of opposition political parties to intensify their protest.
The delegation included educationists Apurba Kumar Barua, Manorama Sharma, Dinesh Goswami, senior journalist Mahesh Deka, human rights activist Pooja Nirla, trans activist Milin Dutta, and many others.
The event was also attended by senior Congress leader Mehdi Alam Bora, Joint Secretaries Rituparno Konwar and Biman Gogoi, respectively, and many other Congress workers.
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