Hill-cutting: Supreme Court panel issues notice to Assam & Meghalaya

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court (SC) has issued a notice to the Assam and Meghalaya governments regarding the hill-cutting on the Meghalaya side of the border in the Kamrup (Metro) district.

Speaking to the media, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state government had moved the SC’s Central Empowered Committee on the big construction works in Meghalaya involving hill-cutting and that notices have been issued to both states. In light of the flash floods in Guwahati following the heavy downpour in the past few days, the CM said that Meghalaya cannot be blamed for it. The depression in the Bay of Bengal brought rainfall to Assam as well as Meghalaya. The run-off water from the Meghalaya hills flows into Assam, as it is located in the catchment area.

Regarding the issue of hill-cutting for construction activities, talks are set to be held between the two sides on June 2. During the talks between the two CMs, the issue of the long-pending border dispute will also be discussed, the CM said.

As for the flash floods in the city due to the heavy rains, the IMD has forecasted that the rains will continue till Saturday afternoon. The worsened situation is also likely to continue till tomorrow, the CM opined. The state government has been continually monitoring the situation. The traffic police personnel have also been directed to divert the traffic from other places through routes outside the city so that traffic movement is not hampered, he added.

The CM also said that electricity connections to 9 lakh households across the state have been cut and 100 transformers in Guwahati have been shut down as a precautionary measure owing to the heavy rainfall.

The Chief Minister also appealed to the people to take extra precautions. Schools in Kamrup and Kamrup (Metro) districts will remain closed tomorrow due to the adverse weather conditions. Government employees commuting to their offices from a considerable distance have been given a special casual leave on Saturday. Private organisations were also appealed to be lenient to their employees on their attendance, he further said.

Also Read: Guwahati: City comes to standstill; floods are back with a vengeance

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