Silsako demolition drive enters new phase: IHM razed, Ginger Hotel likely next

Guwahati, July 21: Continuing with its plans to expand the Silsako wetland and ease Guwahati’s chronic urban flooding, the government, on Monday, razed the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) building at Sachal — marking the beginning of the third phase of its demolition drive in the area in recent months.

The operation, spearheaded by the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), is part of a larger project to develop the Beel into a natural reservoir that can absorb excess rainwater and reduce water-logging across the city.

“We plan to dig around 800 bighas to expand the Silsako Beel. Today’s demolition of the IHM building is a step in that direction,” said Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah, who visited the site along with Guwahati Mayor Mrigen Sarania.

In the interim, IHM classes will be shifted to a building owned by the State Industry Department in Christian Basti — the same place where the institute was initially housed.

Student hostels will temporarily be relocated to the Games Village, Mallabaruah said. “The government has also finalised a 30-bigha plot in Sonapur, where a permanent IHM campus is expected to come up in due course,” he added.

The Minister further said that other structures encroaching on the wetland, including the Ginger Hotel and a nearby tennis court, are also on the radar. “Talks are ongoing, and we are hopeful of demolishing them soon,” he said.

Mallabaruah further announced that he would be conducting inspections of high-rise buildings across the city to check for illegal constructions over waterbodies and blocked drains.

“These often contribute to waterlogging. While we rely on field staff for verifications, some encroachments still slip through during the approval process,” he noted.

The latest round of demolitions follows two earlier phases in May and June, during which the premises of the Institute of Cooperative Management and the Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development were razed.

But even as the government presses forward with the clearance drive, concerns over fair compensation and rehabilitation continue to mount.

Protests have erupted periodically since the project began in 2022, with evictees alleging inadequate compensation and lack of transparency.

On July 11, the discontent spilled onto the streets, as hundreds gathered in Sachal to demand land rights, fair compensation, and proper rehabilitation for families displaced by the project.

Despite the controversy, officials maintain that the Silsako restoration remains a crucial step in making Guwahati climate-resilient.