Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court has directed the Assam Public Works Department (PWD) to immediately cease all earth filling and construction activities in the Deepor Beel area in Guwahati.
The order, issued on Thursday (February 6, 2025), by Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Suman Shyam, comes amid concerns about the environmental impact of the work on Deepor Beel.
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The court’s directive follows a previous hearing where the PWD acknowledged ongoing earth filling and construction related to a proposed elevated corridor near Dharapur Tiniali.
The PWD had initially claimed the project did not require environmental clearances, as it was not covered under the 2006 EIA Notification.
However, the PWD’s counsel, P. Nayak, on Thursday informed the court that the project had been cancelled and the temporary earth filling and construction would be removed within six to eight weeks.
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Dissatisfied with the timeline, the High Court mandated the PWD to submit an affidavit confirming the removal of the earth filling and construction by the next hearing date.
“…we direct the Public Works Department to file an affidavit to the effect that the earth filling and the other construction activities in the Deepor Beel area will be removed by the next date of hearing of this case,” the HC order read.
The court also directed the registry to verify whether a suo moto Public Interest Litigation (PIL) had been registered, as directed by the Supreme Court in December 2024, concerning the Deepor Beel issue.
The Supreme Court had instructed several High Courts, including Gauhati, to treat an affidavit filed by Dr. A. Duraisamy of the Central Wetland Regulatory Authority as a suo moto PIL.
The court further instructed D. Nath, Senior Government Advocate for Assam, to file an affidavit in compliance with a previous order issued on July 29, 2024, in the ongoing PIL on Deepor Beel filed by environmental activist Pramod Kalita and two others.
The case will be listed for further hearing as per the bench’s availability. The order underscores the High Court’s growing concern over the preservation of Deepor Beel, a significant wetland ecosystem.