Guwahati, March 1: Amidst the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) carrying out an eviction drive at Silsako Beel, a protected wetland here, the Assam government on Wednesday said the campaign against encroachments at the natural water body would be intensive to free Guwahati from the onslaught of artificial floods.
Notably, Silsako Beel is a crucial reservoir for storm-water runoff from the city. The state government had in the year 2008 declared Silsako a protected waterbody, prohibiting construction and settlement in the designated area covering around 1,800 bighas.
Speaking to mediapersons, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that based on satellite images, the encroachments (building structures or establishing human settlements) in the protected area would have taken place during 2009 and 2015.
“Prior to 2009, the satellite images show that the wetland area was free from such encroachments. So I have instructed the deputy commissioner, Kamrup (Metro) to take steps to immediately shift all institutions such as Hotel Ginger, OKD Institute of Social Change, the tennis court (at Chachal) and office of the Koch-Rajbongshi Sanmilani office from Silsako,” Sarma said.
The chief minister further said that the eviction drive would be uncompromising in a bid to clear all buildings and settlements in the wetland.
He also informed that the state government would provide an economic package to the 300 to 400 families who would be evicted from the wetland area.
GMDA had launched the eviction drive at Silsako Beel on Monday with over 15 excavators and 3,000 armed personnel securing the site.
Meanwhile, state housing and urban affairs minister Ashok Singhal, while speaking to reporters after conducting an aerial survey of another protected wetland, Deepor Beel, on Wednesday said that an eviction drive in a bid to make Guwahati flood-free, would also be carried out in Deepor Beel with the same objective.
“We have requested the revenue and allied departments as well to take measures in regard to clearing of all encroachments in the city,” Singhal said.
In regard to the water flowing down to the city from the hills of neighbouring Meghalaya, the minister said that the construction of a silt track project is underway and measures are being taken to mitigate floods in a scientific manner.
In sync with ‘Mission Flood Free Guwahati’, the housing and urban affairs minister also inspected the desilting operations being carried out at Rukminigaon and Dwaraka Nagar areas of the city on Wednesday.
“As the monsoon season approaches, our department has ramped up operations to clear all major and minor storm drains and canals in our city. The clearing of silt and garbage from the storm drains removes blockages and restores their depth and capacity. This in turn allows rain water to flow unabated, thus greatly mitigating flooding,” Singhal later tweeted.