Tree-felling concerns

The Assam government last week informed the Gauhati High Court that there shall be no felling of trees in the construction of the proposed Guwahati Ring Road. The people are expected to immensely benefit from the proposed massive 121-km ring-road highway project around the city at an estimated cost of around Rs 6,000 crore. But two citizens have approached the High Court with apprehensions that a large number of trees would be felled while implementing this mega project. The allegation is that the proposed by-pass alignment cuts through the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary and its eco-sensitive zone, in the process risking ecological damage. More than 1.06 lakh mature trees have been felled in Assam since 2016 for developmental projects, with significant, ongoing tree removal in Guwahati. Reports citing data procured by using provisions of the RTI Act have revealed that over 1.06 lakh mature trees have been felled in Assam for various developmental projects between May 2016 and early 2026. In Guwahati alone, over 7,000 trees have been cut in and around Guwahati over the past few years for projects. About 2,500 trees were cut in 2022 along a 16.5-km stretch of NH-37 for conversion to a six-lane highway, with the authorities allegedly making no effort whatsoever to remove them scientifically and replant them elsewhere or make compensatory plantations as required under CAMPA rules. Provisions for compensatory plantation under CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority), governed by the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act 2016, mandate that agencies diverting forest land for non-forest use must find equivalent afforestation. Funds are deposited into National (10%) and State (90%) accounts to undertake plantations on non-forest land (or double-area degraded land). As of now, whether these provisions have been kept in mind while cutting trees for development purposes in Assam, however, is not clear as of now. Trees can be removed for road widening, but this process typically involves regulatory compliance, compensatory afforestation, and in some cases, relocation. Regulations often mandate that developers, such as the NHAI, replant multiple saplings for every tree removed to mitigate ecological damage.