GUWAHATI: A flyover project from the Kalapahar Cycle Factory to Lalganesh in Guwahati has sparked controversy as locals protest the potential felling of two historic trees, a teak and a karai, estimated to be over 200 years old.
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The trees, standing in the campus of the Lion Boys’ Club in Kalapahar, provide shade to pedestrians and help sustain the area’s groundwater levels.
Residents and business owners argue the flyover isn’t essential on the wide 20-meter road and could disrupt thousands of lives in the area.
Earlier this year, a letter was sent to the Assam Chief Minister’s Office.
In March 2024, a letter was submitted to the Assam Chief Minister’s Office by residents of Lokhra Road, proposing alternative measures to manage traffic without a flyover. “We believe that on such a wide road, a divider and strict traffic policing would be enough to control traffic flow,” read the letter. “If a three-lane flyover is built, it will unnecessarily disrupt about 2,000 families.”
The letter highlighted the potential impact on local businesses. Residents argued that many shops and small businesses, essential to family incomes, stand on private land that would be acquired for the flyover. “The livelihood of many families depends on these businesses,” the letter emphasized, “and we appeal to the government to avoid acquiring private land or destroying these sources of income.”
The letter also pointed out that locals had already contributed roadside land in 2014 for road and drainage expansion. Religious structures on private land would be disrupted, and the ancient trees, which provide shade and aid in groundwater recharge, would be lost if the flyover construction proceeds as planned.
Talking to GPlus, Shyama Pada Roy, a resident recalling a prior effort to save the trees. “They tried cutting them down before, but we managed to stop it. This time, I have lodged a complaint but received no response,” he said.
According to Roy, the district commissioner office has directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to explore options to save the trees.
Local businesses also stand to suffer.
Talking to GPlus, a shopkeeper in Cycle Factory said, “This shop is my family’s livelihood. If they acquire this land, what will we do?”
The Kalapahar Citizens’ Committee has also publicly opposed the flyover project. “If the proposal goes forward, it will force the government to acquire private homes and businesses along both sides of the road,” the committee said in a statement. “This decision will impact the livelihoods of the entire area.”
Another letter, sent to authorities in September, reiterated the call to consider local businesses’ survival on their own land without forced acquisition.
However, talking to GPlus, a senior official from PWD said, “We have discussed replantation plans with the forest department and other concerned departments. The alignment of the bridge has already been fixed, and construction is underway. As of now, there are no plans for redesigning, so these trees will be cut down.”