GUWAHATI: Residents of Assam’s Dibrugarh have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging immediate action to halt deforestation and uprooting of trees in the South Jalan Tea Estate.
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Concerned over the rapid loss of green cover in their city, this appeal is part of a broader initiative, Sustainable Green Dibrugarh, formed by the citizens and environmental organisations to address the city’s escalating ecological challenges.
The letter to the prime minister follows a discussion forum held on October 6 at the Jewti Moral Association premises, where representatives from organizations such as Aaranyak, All Green Society, and Greater Dibrugarh Citizens Forum emphasised the need to conserve Dibrugarh’s greenery, wetlands, and tea garden areas.
The forum highlighted alarming statistics, noting that Dibrugarh’s urban greenery (0.75 sq. km) and wetlands (0.43 sq. km) are under significant threat. Participants also discussed the draft-revised Master Plan for Dibrugarh and the Urban Greening Guidelines, 2014, issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
Key resolutions included preserving existing green areas, conserving wetlands, and relocating proposed projects such as the International Convention Centre (ICC) from the South Jalan Tea Estate to minimise environmental damage. Additionally, the forum proposed declaring the South Jalan Tea Estate as an "Urban Jungle."
In their memorandum to the Chief Minister of Assam and local authorities, the group further stated that they had filed a Right to Information (RTI) request with the Dibrugarh District Administration to seek clarity on the rationale behind these activities.
