Assam Hill Cutting: Amicus Curiae Critiques Compliance Measures

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The Amicus Curiae of the PIL (14/2024), Senior Counsel K.N. Choudhury, informed a division bench of the Gauhati High Court comprising Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Kardak Ete that ‘though the state government has taken some measures for restraining hill cutting, as a matter of fact, hill cutting is still going on in Guwahati’.

During the hearing of this PIL filed by North East Eco Development Society on flash floods in Guwahati, the Amicus Curiae further said, “The regulations restraining hill cutting are very much there, but strict compliance of the regulations is not reflected from the actions of the authorities of the state government.”

The Amicus Curiae sought some time to highlight the recent incidents of hill cutting in and around Guwahati. The court granted the time sought.

The Department of Housing and Urban Affairs told the court in its affidavit that it had taken measures to stop hill cutting in the city. It also highlighted the existing regulations to tackle the problem of hill cutting in Guwahati.

The court directed the Advocate General of Assam to furnish a detailed report on measures taken by the administration in pursuance of the report submitted by an agency that had been hired to suggest a plan for tackling floods in Guwahati.

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