In response to recent landslides and the impending monsoon season, Kamrup Metro District Commissioner Sumit Sattawan has issued an immediate directive to halt all unscientific and haphazard earth cutting and filling activities in the district.
The order, effective from 1 May to 31 October 2024, aims to prevent potential catastrophes, mishaps, and calamities caused by these activities.
The directive comes after observations that unplanned construction work, which includes destabilizing natural earth slopes, blocking natural and artificial drains, and clogging drainage systems, triggers severe landslides, artificial floods, and persistent water logging. These issues result in significant loss of human and cattle lives and destruction of properties. Additionally, unscientific earth cutting degrades the environment and disrupts the ecological balance.
DC Sattawan emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, "If haphazard, unscientific, and unplanned earth cutting and filling are allowed to continue unhindered, it may cause a catastrophe of great magnitude, putting the public in a situation of great inconvenience and hardship.
The order mandates all concerned departments, including enforcement agencies such as Revenue Circle Officers, District Police, Forest Department, PWD, Transport Department, Soil Conservation Department, and regulatory bodies like GMC, GMDA, and Panchayat functionaries, to stop permitting any earth cutting and filling activities in hilly terrains, water bodies, and low-lying areas until the end of the monsoon season. It also includes a prohibition on the transportation of earth procured from hill cutting.
The directive further requires a review and cancellation of any permissions granted during the current year for construction activities in the most vulnerable areas prone to landslides and flash floods. This measure is taken in the wake of the recent landslide incidents in and around Guwahati City, reinforcing the need for stringent preventive actions.
Issued under the provisions of Section 30.2 (III), (V), (VI), (VIII), (IX), (XI), (XX), (XXIII), and Section 41 (c) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, this order is implemented in the greater public interest to ensure the safety and well-being of the district's residents.
The order takes immediate effect, reflecting the urgency of the situation and the district administration's commitment to mitigating disaster risks during the monsoon season.
