Guwahati: The Assam government’s aggressive push for the Guwahati Ring Road project triggered a tense standoff in Sipajhar’s Kuruwa area on Thursday, exposing deep cracks in its land acquisition process and raising serious questions over human rights and environmental destruction.
Officials of the Darrang district administration moved in with bulldozers to evict families at Behenichapori village, claiming the land was acquired for the project. The operation turned dramatic when Kanaklata Das, one of the affected residents, broke down in front of a bulldozer and collapsed. She was rushed to hospital, forcing officials to retreat without carrying out the demolition.
While the government insists compensation is being paid “as per rules,” affected families say they are being pushed out without secure rehabilitation.
Darrang district administration officials claimed that residents including Kumeshwar Das, Kanaklata Das and Kumud Das failed to submit documents required for compensation. The families, however, demand alternative government land, warning that cash compensation alone will leave them homeless.
The eviction attempt follows a December 31 deadline issued by the administration, despite unresolved disputes over compensation and rehabilitation—once again reflecting the state’s bulldozer-first approach to development.
Beyond displacement, the project carries a massive environmental cost. The Guwahati Ring Road will slice through ecologically sensitive zones, requiring large-scale tree felling inside the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary.
Two major wetlands—Borbila and Khamenga—are also likely to be damaged. Wildlife experts warn the project will worsen human–elephant conflict, as Amchang is a critical elephant habitat already under pressure.
The 121-km Guwahati Ring Road, projected as a flagship infrastructure project, will be built under the Build-Operate-Toll (BOT) model at a cost of Rs 5,729 crore. It includes a 56-km access-controlled Northern Guwahati Bypass, widening of NH-27, and improvement of existing bypass stretches. A massive bridge over the Brahmaputra will connect Kuruwa in Darrang district with Narengi in eastern Guwahati.
As bulldozers advance and forests shrink, the Assam government’s development narrative is increasingly being challenged by ground realities—of displaced families, threatened wetlands, and elephants pushed into human settlements.
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