Guwahati, March 7: The Kamrup (Metro) district administration has, in pursuance of an order passed by Gauhati High Court, partially modified its earlier directive and asked the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) to demolish 26 bridges over the Bahini river which have been obstructing the natural flow of water and causing water-logging problems in different places along the river.
The partial modification of the DC’s order came in the wake of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the High Court and subsequent order by the court regarding rectification of the 26 bridges over the Bahini river.
According to the earlier order by the Kamrup (Metro) DC, the district administration had asked the GMC to demolish 89 bridges to ensure smooth flow of stormwater during the monsoon season.
The directive was issued to GMC in accordance with the provisions laid out under sections of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
The order had stated that if the structures were not demolished immediately, the de-siltation work along the Bahini river would not be effective, causing immense hardship to the residents of that area and the public in general due to water logging in Rukminigaon, Hatigaon, Beltola, Basistha, Dwarka Nagar, Down Town, Juripar, VIP road areas among other parts of the Guwahati city.
As it is, the Assam housing and urban affairs department has been taking intensive measures to mitigate urban floods
“Moreover, as these works are of an emergent nature for mitigating urban floods, this order is passed ex-parte and public interference or hindrance during the execution of the works by the executing agency will be considered an obstruction to public service and legal action may be initiated as per prevalent acts and norms,” the DC stated in the order.