Residents of Guwahati opposed the construction of Assam's longest flyover - a 5.44 km-long four-lane elevated corridor connecting Dighalipukhuri with Noonmati.
The Public Works Department commenced the construction after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma laid the foundation stone for the ambitious project on 1 January, 2024. The controversial project, estimated at Rs 853 crore, is slated to become the longest flyover in the Northeast upon completion in 2026.
Despite being promoted as a landmark addition to Assam's road network, the construction has stirred controversy between the PWD officials and local residents, who allege that neither the PWD nor the state authorities held any public hearing to discuss the pros and cons of the project.
Sanjib Kalita, president of the Silpukhuri Traders’ Union, expressed concerns about the potential impact on traffic congestion and local businesses. "Before proceeding with such a massive construction, there should have been alternate arrangements for traffic flow. The road is very narrow. The traffic condition will be pathetic if any alternative route for traffic is not arranged,” said Kalita.
Guwahati resident, Suprakash Talukdar, stated, “The PWD solely is the decision taker for such a drastic change. We don't think that for swift vehicular movement, this flyover is necessary that too from the mentioned areas. This flyover will rather intensify flash floods in our locality. The authority should've devised a substitute plan."
Former Mayor of Guwahati Municipal Corporation Kushal Sarma also flagged the potential economic losses because of the demolition of shops and commercial establishments along the flyover's path.
Local residents, represented by Sarma and others, held a press meeting on 30 December, 2023, to shed light on various issues related to the construction. The citizens reportedly filed an Right to Information (RTI), but according to them, the responses were unsatisfactory.
"We, the concerned citizens, are strongly against the decision of the respective department. Without any public hearing and proper evaluation, how can they decide to lay the foundation stone on the mentioned date? This project will affect the lives of several residents and businesses," said Kushal Kumar Sarma during the press meeting.
Apart from the lack of public involvement, other allegations include undisclosed details related to land acquisition, revenue, environmental impact assessment study and transparency of the map.
Despite protests, the construction of the flyover in Guwahati continued. In October 2024, another protest erupted against the government's initial decision to fell trees in the Dighalipukhuri area for the project. Following this, in November 2024, journalist Mahesh Deka and two others filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Gauhati High Court. In response, the Assam government assured the court it would realign the flyover's design, ensuring no trees in the area would be cut down. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also assured that the trees will not be touched.
However, a few months later, the government reversed its decision and opted to translocate 77 trees from the Ambari area, near Dighalipukhuri. This led to further protests and a new application being filed in court in June 2025, related to the original PIL. The High Court, however, directed the petitioners to file a separate PIL for the Ambari area.
During the hearing for the new PIL, the government submitted an affidavit assuring the court that no further trees would be translocated. On 24 June 2025, the court sought a status report on the trees that had already been moved. The court also sought a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) regarding tree translocation on 22 July 2025. During a hearing on 11 August 2025, the state stated that all the 76 translocated trees have started sprouting leaves. However, the counsel for the petitioner submitted that the 76 trees that have been translocated to the Assam Textile Institute, have started to dry up. The matter is listed for next hearing on 18 September 2025.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand to cancel the project
Opposition against environmental degradation
Complaint against procedural violations
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Urban
Type of Land
Common and Private
Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project underway despite protests
Original Project Deadline
2026
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Commercial, Residential area
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
853
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
Year of Estimation
2023
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
No
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Non-consultation with stakeholders
Controversial land acquisition by the government
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Disposed
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Gauhati High Court
Case Number
PIL/64/2024; PIL/28/2025
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
No
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Public Works (Road) Department, Government of Assam
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Shree Gautam Construction Co Ltd, Anupam Nirman Pvt LtdShree Gautam Construction Co Ltd, Anupam Nirman Pvt Ltd
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
Sarup is a researcher and doctoral student in Political Science at the North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong. His research interests lie in the area of ethnic and land conflicts, political ecology and development and urban spaces of Northeast India. He has a Masters’ degree in Development Studies from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati. He has previously done research/internships with NABARD, Oxford Microfinance Initiative (renamed Oxford Development Consultancy) and CSDS (Lokniti Programme).
