Guwahati, July 21: The Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), on Monday, razed the campus of the Indian Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) at Cachal locality in the city as part of its ongoing eviction drive around the ecologically-sensitive Silsako Beel, authorities said.
The move comes under a larger push by the Assam government to reclaim the wetland, which has suffered years of encroachment by individuals, private institutions, and even government bodies.
Authorities have cited the rampant encroachment of Silsako Beel as a major contributor to Guwahati’s worsening urban flooding, particularly during the monsoon season. Defending the demolition, Assam Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said, “Guwahati has a huge wetland called Silsako.
But in the past, this land was encroached upon by the public, institutions and even government bodies. The demolition drive is being carried out to solve the urban flooding problem of Guwahati.”
The eviction campaign, which has received strong backing from the state administration, seeks to restore the natural drainage systems and address the city’s persistent waterlogging woes.
Over the past few months, multiple residential and commercial structures have been demolished as part of the drive. Authorities maintain that all necessary legal procedures were followed. Notices had been served to occupants well in advance, and the action was taken in accordance with directives from the Gauhati High Court, which has stressed the need to preserve and restore the wetland.
The GMDA has confirmed that the eviction drive will continue in phases across the broader Silsako Beel zone. Environmentalists and urban planners have welcomed the initiative, citing the urgent need to protect natural water bodies that act as buffers against climate-related urban disasters.
Notably, a government-led eviction drive in the Paikan Reserve Forest under the Krishnai Range in Assam’s Goalpara district turned violent last week, leaving one person dead. The incident occurred after police allegedly opened fire on a group of residents resisting the operation.
The joint drive, carried out by the Assam Police and the state’s Forest Department, aimed to clear more than 140 hectares of encroached land within the 711-hectare Paikan Reserve Forest.
Tensions flared when residents of Bidyapara and Betbari — two densely populated localities within the forest area — allegedly confronted the eviction team with stones and sticks. According to officials, the violence began when a large crowd attempted to halt the eviction process by attacking police personnel and damaging an excavator.
In response, police reportedly fired upon the mob, claiming the move was in self-defence. One person, identified as Shakuar Hussain, was killed in the clash.
IANS