Guwahati: The Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) in Assam’s Guwahati was demolished on Monday as part of the ongoing government drive to free Silsako Beel from encroachments, officials said.
The eviction, carried out under the supervision of the district administration, is part of a broader initiative to clear the natural waterbody of both private and government structures in an effort to tackle recurring urban flooding in Assam’s capital city.
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“This is a difficult but necessary step,” said Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah. “While IHM contributed to the city’s education sector, the larger concern is the protection of Guwahati from devastating floods. We must act in the interest of the city’s future.”
IHM, a central government institute spread over 15 bighas, has been temporarily relocated to a facility on GS Road. Minister Baruah added that a 30-bigha plot has been allotted for the institute in the Sonapur area, where new infrastructure will be constructed and handed over.
The minister described the IHM demolition as a key milestone in the development of an 800-bigha reservoir project at Silsako, which aims to resolve the city’s chronic flooding problem. Demolition began with classroom blocks, and hostel buildings along with other facilities are slated for dismantling in the coming days.
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“This is the largest single institutional demolition within the designated reservoir zone. We intend to complete the entire shifting and demolition process within 15 days,” Baruah said.
Previously, the government had evicted the Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development and the Institute of Cooperative Management from the Silsako Beel area.
Two more structures—the tennis court and Ginger Hotel—still remain and will also be cleared, the minister confirmed. “We are currently in discussions with their managements,” he noted.
The reservoir site, encompassing approximately 800 bighas, is expected to be excavated during the upcoming dry season.
Silsako Beel was declared a protected waterbody in 2008 through a state Act, with restrictions placed on any construction or settlement in and around the 1,800-bigha wetland area, which lies between Chachal, Hengerabari, Pathar Quarry, and Satgaon.