A rule under the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change requires that for every tree felled in non-forest areas for development, ten trees must be planted in its place. In Assam, that rule is being ignored on a significant scale.
A 2023 report reveals that around 7,000 trees were felled for highway expansion in the state — but only 784 saplings were planted in their place. Under the compensatory planting norm, approximately 70,000 trees should have been planted.
The problem goes well beyond a single year. Between 2020 and 2024, around 94,000 trees were felled across Assam for highway expansion alone.
In Guwahati, several thousand more trees have been chopped down or uprooted for various development works. Goalpara district has also seen large-scale felling, including trees on forest land.
The trees have been removed for a range of projects — national and state highway expansions, flyover construction, battalion camps, and other infrastructure development.
When trees on forest land are felled, the Forest Department follows the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam 1980 (Amendment Act, 2023). For non-forest land, a separate Standard Operating Procedure applies.
Under these guidelines, ten trees must be planted for every mature tree cut down on non-forest land. The replacement trees can be planted either at the original site or at an alternative location.
According to a retired Forest Department official, the responsibility for compensatory planting along national highways lies with the national highway authorities — not the Forest Department, which only facilitates planting for state highways and other projects.
The official noted that reasons such as non-availability of land and lack of funds are routinely cited to justify non-compliance. On tree transplantation specifically, cost and survival rates are cited as barriers — with only a 20 to 30 per cent chance of a transplanted tree surviving.
Perhaps the most important point the retired official raised is one that tends to get lost in the numbers.
A tree that is 20 or 30 years old provides environmental benefits — carbon absorption, shade, biodiversity support, soil stability — that a freshly planted sapling simply cannot replicate for decades.
"The government should consider this aspect," the official said, adding that highway planners should prioritise minimising tree removal in the first place — by routing roads around existing trees or considering alternate alignments where possible.
The gap between what is required and what is actually being done points to a systemic failure that, if left unaddressed, will have long-term consequences for Assam's ecological health.
Also Read: Rampant tree felling, encroachments at Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park