Urmi Bhattacharjee
Guwahati, May 11: Fresh protests over tree felling near Deepor Beel for a proposed elevated railway corridor have once again revived environmental concerns around Assam’s only Ramsar wetland, with activists, residents and social media users questioning whether ecological protection in Guwahati is steadily losing public urgency.
Deepor Beel, located on the southwestern edge of Guwahati, was recognised as a Ramsar Site in 2002 under the international Ramsar Convention because of its ecological importance as a freshwater wetland and biodiversity zone. The wetland supports migratory birds, aquatic species, elephants and several fragile ecosystems while also functioning as one of Guwahati’s most important natural flood buffers during monsoon months.
The latest controversy erupted after reports emerged that more than 100 trees were being cut for a proposed elevated railway corridor near the ecologically sensitive zone. Authorities and railway officials have defended the project by arguing that the corridor is aimed at reducing elephant deaths caused by train collisions and improving wildlife movement across the railway stretch.
Environmental groups, however, argue that repeated infrastructure interventions around Deepor Beel are gradually weakening the wetland’s ecological stability.
Public concern around the issue has also become increasingly visible online.
A widely shared social media post by Assamese singer and public figure Nilakshi R Sarma questioned the relative silence surrounding the latest tree-cutting controversy. “Where are the NGOs, social activists, student unions, the celebrities, the singers, YouTubers? Why is no one speaking for Deepor Beel tree cutting?” the post read, reflecting growing frustration among sections of the public over what they see as declining environmental mobilisation around the wetland.
The reference in the post to singer Zubeen Garg also triggered wider conversations online, with many users recalling his earlier vocal interventions on environmental and regional issues in Assam.
Deepor Beel has faced mounting ecological pressure for years.
Environmentalists have repeatedly raised concerns over railway expansion, encroachment, illegal settlements, garbage dumping, sewage discharge and urban construction activities around the wetland ecosystem. The nearby Boragaon dumping site has particularly remained a major source of criticism due to fears of contamination affecting water quality and biodiversity.
Studies and environmental reports over the years have pointed toward shrinking wetland spread, increasing water hyacinth growth and declining ecological health in several parts of the lake system.
At the same time, government agencies and infrastructure planners argue that balancing conservation with public infrastructure needs remains one of the biggest urban governance challenges facing Guwahati today.
Officials associated with the railway corridor project maintain that the elevated structure is being designed precisely to minimise long-term ecological and wildlife damage compared to conventional rail expansion. Supporters of the project also argue that Northeast India’s growing transport and connectivity demands cannot be ignored entirely, particularly in regions where railway movement intersects with elephant corridors and densely populated urban zones.
The debate around Deepor Beel, therefore, increasingly reflects a larger question confronting rapidly expanding Indian cities: how to pursue infrastructure growth without steadily exhausting the ecological systems that sustain them.
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