Guwahati's hills

There are no arguments on the fact the heritage and health of Guwahati, the premier city of the Northeastern Region, have been pushed to the brink due to large-scale encroachment of the once-beautiful hills within and surrounding it. One ancient Indian scripture which describes the visit of Lord Krishna says that Guwahati was surrounded by thick green hills which protect the ancient city on all sides. Those who had seen Guwahati before then Chief Minister Sarat Chandra Sinha had hurriedly and haphazardly shifted the state capital from Shillong to some temporary sheds at Dispur, will say that Guwahati was green in all directions, with several water-bodies and pukhuris providing wonderful water-cushions for the monsoon months. But, while the first blow was struck to the city with the unplanned shifting of the capital in the first half of the 1970s, it has been the lack of will of successive governments to protect the pristine hills from land-hungry encroachers – both indigenous and of immigrant origins – that the natural beauty and ecological balance of Guwahati have been pushed to the brink. Hundreds and thousands of people have illegally occupied Guwahati's beautiful hills under the patronage of some political parties and leaders. It is however good news that the present government has expressed its willingness to address the issue of encroachment in the hills in Guwahati city and to free all hills from encroachment. The government has announced that it will adopt a humane approach towards the encroachers, identify suitable land and shift the landless encroachers to such land on priority. Finance Minister Ajanta Neog has also announced that a mechanism will be developed for a 24x7 monitoring of the hills by government agencies using a drone and other technology to prevent further encroachment. Additionally, she has promised the creation of open spaces and preservation of all open existing spaces and hills within the city.