GUWAHATI: Sumit Sattawan, the deputy commissioner of Kamrup Metropolitan, has ordered a halt to all unscientific and haphazard earth cutting and filling activities in the district from May 1 to October 31. This order comes in view of recent landslides and the persistent risk of artificial flooding and waterlogging during the monsoon season.
The order highlights the dangers posed by unregulated construction practices, which destabilise natural earth slopes, block natural and artificial drainage systems, and degrade the environment, leading to severe landslides, artificial floods, and the loss of human and cattle lives. The unplanned activities have also been linked to substantial property damage.
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Citing the urgency of the situation, Sattawan has directed all relevant departments, including Revenue Circle Officers, District Police, Forest Department, Public Works Department (PWD), Transport Department, Soil Conservation Department, and regulatory bodies like Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), to strictly enforce the ban. The order also applies to Panchayat functionaries.
"In view of the grave situation arising out of the recent landslide in and around Guwahati City, it is necessary to prohibit earth cutting and filling activities during the monsoon season, even if permissions have been previously granted by regulatory authorities," stated Sattawan. He further instructed that no earth procured from hill cutting should be transported or used.
Departments and regulatory bodies are also mandated to review and revoke any existing permissions for earth cutting and filling in vulnerable areas prone to landslides and flash floods. The directive, issued under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, comes into immediate effect.
