Guwahati, April 18: A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Gauhati High Court on Saturday alleging that conditions set by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) when approving the Guwahati Ring Road project are not being “properly followed”. Petitioners Arkasish Chaliha and Mahesh Deka told the court that mandatory forest clearances have not been granted by the Central government, while the Divisional Forest Officer of the Guwahati Wildlife Division has already issued an e-tender to select a contractor for tree felling — a move the petitioners described as “post-haste”.
Additional Advocate General P.N. Goswami said in court that all clearances, “including under the Act of 1980,” have been obtained. He told the bench that the contested tender will not be finalized until a detailed response affidavit is filed. The government has undertaken to file that affidavit at the next hearing.
The petition does not challenge the Guwahati Ring Road project itself — a 121-kilometre bypass around the city estimated to cost about Rs 6,000 crore and to be constructed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The petitioners also do not dispute the need for improved traffic management but say the alignment carved out for the bypass allegedly cuts through the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary and its surrounding eco-sensitive zone.
The petitioners emphasized the ecological sensitivity of the area, noting that Amchang and its adjoining forests host elephants, gibbons, leopards, pangolins and other species, and that the route encompasses an elephant corridor. The case highlights the ongoing tension between large-scale infrastructure development and wildlife conservation as the court prepares to examine the government’s detailed reply.
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/guwahati/guwahati-ring-road-project-faces-legal-scrutiny-over-forest-clearance-trees-felling-1610726
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Publish Date: 2026-04-18 09:36:00
