Residents protest as Guwahati Ring Road buries historic wetland

Guwahati: Crews are burying the historic Khamranga Beel in Chandrapur under dirt and boulders. The National Highways Authority of India is pushing the Ring Road project forward. Nearly half the wetland is already gone. Residents and students are fuming. They claim the project destroys vital elephant habitats and ruins local farms.

The wetland serves as a feeding ground for wild elephants coming down from the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary. Conservationists fear the loss of this space will push herds into villages like Thakurkuchi. Human-elephant conflict looks certain. Migratory birds also face a crisis as their winter nesting grounds vanish.

The damage hits human pockets too. Farmers report hundreds of bighas of paddy destroyed by dumped earth. Small businesses relying on rural tourism expect to lose their income. While some landowners received payouts, many others say they have been left behind. Dhiren Chandra Boro of the Pragjyotishpur Tribal Sangha blasted the state. “Through the destruction of Khamranga Beel, they are hell-bent on ruining our tribal community,” he said.

Critics demand to know why the NHAI ignored earlier promises of an elevated bridge. Montu Phangcho of the Karbi Students’ Association asked: “If a bridge was truly planned, what was the justification for filling the water body?” The All Assam Students’ Union is now calling for direct action against the contractors. Locals warn the project will ruin natural drainage and worsen monsoon flooding across the region.