GUWAHATI: While the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is conducting an eviction drive at Silsako Beel, the Assam Government announced on Wednesday that the campaign against encroachments at the natural water body would be aggressive in order to free Guwahati from the onslaught of artificial floods, as per reports.
Notably, Silsako Beel is a crucial reservoir for storm-water runoff from the city.
According to media reports, the state government declared Silsako a protected waterbody in 2008, prohibiting construction and settlement within the designated area of approximately 1,800 bighas.
According to satellite images, encroachments (building structures or establishing human settlements) in the protected area occurred between 2009 and 2015, according to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
“Prior to 2009, the satellite images show that the wetland area was free from such encroachments. So I have instructed the District Commissioner, Kamrup (Metro) to take steps to immediately shift all institutions such as Hotel Ginger, OKD Institute of Social Change, the tennis court (at Chachal) and the office of the Koch-Rajbongshi Sanmilani office from Silsako,” Sarma said.
The Chief Minister further stated that the eviction drive would be stringent in order to clear all buildings and settlements in the wetland. He also stated that the state government would provide financial assistance to the 300 to 400 families who would be evicted from the wetland area.
On Monday, the GMDA began the eviction process at Silsako Beel, with over 15 excavators and 3,000 armed personnel securing the site.
Meanwhile, State Housing And Urban Affairs Minister Ashok Singhal told the media on Wednesday after conducting an aerial survey of another protected wetland, Deepor Beel, that an eviction drive would be carried out in Deepor Beel with the same goal of making Guwahati flood-free.
Cabinet Minister of Water Resources, Pijush Hazarika today visited Deepor Beel in order to thoroughly investigate the water body, as per a tweet by the minister.
"On directions of HCM @himantabiswa sir, today I arrived at the bank of Deeporbeel for a thorough investigation in line with our government's efforts to rejuvenate the water body. I held a meeting with the concerned dept.s for diverting some flood waters of Brahmaputra to this beel," the tweet read.
“We have requested the revenue and allied departments as well to take measures in regard to clearing all encroachments in the city,” Singhal said.
Concerning the water flowing down to the city from the hills of neighbouring Meghalaya, the minister stated that a silt track project is being built and scientific measures are being taken to mitigate floods.
In coordination with 'Mission Flood Free Guwahati,' the Housing And Urban Affairs Minister inspected desilting operations in the city's Rukminigaon and Dwaraka Nagar areas on Wednesday, as per the post the minister shared on Twitter.
“As the monsoon season approaches, our department has ramped up operations to clear all major and minor storm drains and canals in our city. The clearing of silt and garbage from the storm drains removes blockages and restores their depth and capacity. This in turn allows rainwater to flow unabated, thus greatly mitigating flooding,” Singhal tweeted.