Guwahati, March 9: Assam’s expanding infrastructure network—from highways and medical colleges to oil exploration sites—has resulted in the felling of more than one lakh mature trees across the state since 2016, according to information obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Data provided by 15 out of 44 wildlife and territorial forest divisions revealed that 1,06,896 trees have been cut since May 2016, when the BJP formed its first government in Assam.

A majority of the tree felling has been linked to government infrastructure projects, particularly road widening and construction works.

Assam’s Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said a large number of trees were removed during the four-laning of National Highway-17 from Guwahati to Goalpara and the construction of the Darrang Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).

“In most places where trees were cut, roads have been developed — mainly national highways. Besides, ONGC and Oil India are also exploring crude and developing wells at new locations. For that too, some trees were felled,” the minister said.

According to the RTI data, around 84,000 trees were cut for government projects, including roads, bridges, flyovers, medical colleges, police battalions and other infrastructure. More than 10,000 trees were felled for private works.
The data also shows that over 26,000 trees were removed from notified forest areas, while the rest were cut in non-forest locations.

Officials said the tree felling was carried out only when necessary” and that compensatory plantation programmes are underway. The government claims that over 3.5 crore saplings have been planted in the past two years, and forest divisions reported that more than 70 per cent of the planted saplings have survived.

However, recent national data suggests that maintaining forest cover remains a challenge for the state.

According to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, Assam’s forest cover declined by over 83 square kilometres between 2021 and 2023, bringing the total forest and tree cover in the state to 30,415.01 sq km.

The report also noted that Assam is among the five states showing the highest decrease in forest cover withinthe Recorded Forest Area (RFA) or Green Wash (GW) categories.
A significant part of this decline has been attributed to the diversion of 29.718 sq km of forest land for non-forestry developmental activities, including infrastructure expansion, the report said.

The RTI data and the national forest assessment together highlight the growing tension between Assam’s development push and the need to conserve its forests, as the state undertakes large-scale infrastructure projects while attempting to offset ecological losses through plantation drives.

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