SHILLONG, July 28: Under fire from Assam for allegedly “drowning” Guwahati, the Meghalaya government has retreated into a shell of “official examination,” refusing to provide immediate counter-evidence to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s claims that unchecked hill-cutting in Jorabat is causing a regional disaster.
Responding to the allegations on Monday, Cabinet Minister Marcuise Marak stated the matter is under review. “Every detail will come out once the examination is done,” Marak said.
The controversy intensified on Friday when Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma directly blamed development in the Jorabat hills of Meghalaya for Guwahati’s recurring flash floods. Sarma warned that the volume of water cascading from the hills has become “unmanageable” for Guwahati’s drainage system.
Citing a Supreme Court-constituted empowered committee report, Sarma said the panel flagged illegal construction in the Jorabat area—specifically around the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM)—as a “grave threat” to the Assam capital. He further alleged that the Guwahati airport is also under threat from the hill run-off.
“This matter is sub-judice and will be up for hearing in the apex court,” Sarma told reporters, adding that the Supreme Court committee’s findings support Assam’s concerns regarding the development in and around USTM.
Sarma urged the Meghalaya government to show “sympathetic consideration” by regulating construction in Jorabat, noting that Meghalaya has previously halted activities in Byrnihat over pollution concerns.
“I will only appeal to the Meghalaya government to see how development in and around Jorabat can be controlled… otherwise the flood scene in Guwahati will be unmanageable,” Sarma said. He insisted that while he remains in touch with his Meghalaya counterpart, Guwahati cannot be protected without significant restraint on hill-side development.
