Assam govt seeks satellite-based alarm system to curb illegal hill cutting

Guwahati, Jun 2: The Kamrup Metro administration has initiated discussion with the Assam State Space Application Centre to develop a system which can generate alarms on instances of hill cutting in the district.

This was stated in an affidavit filed by the Additional Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs at the Gauhati High Court during a hearing on a PIL filed on the matter by North East Eco Development Society.

“The areas where maximum instances of hill cutting are observed falls in the outlaying areas of Chandrapur and Sonapur circle in Dimoria co-district. To tackle the problem, the Co-District Commission of Dimoria has issued an order under Section 162 of BNSS prohibiting cutting of hillocks,” the government said in the affidavit.

The Additional Secretary further said that to stop the problem of earth cutting in the hill areas, the government has ensured that no permission for earth cutting be given in such areas.

The Forest department has so far seized 53 vehicles and 56,700 cubic meters of earth cut from the hills, it said.

It further stated that site-specific evaluations are conducted by the designated site engineers prior to the issuance of planning permits with particular attention to the topographical features, flood vulnerability and soil characteristics of the land.

Furthermore, areas designated as eco-sensitive zones in the Guwahati Master Plan 2025 are categorically protected. No development activities are permitted within these zones, it claimed.

The affidavit also cited various provisions of the Assam Unified Building Construction (Regulation) Byelaws, 2022 (amended in 2024) which are intended to ensure slope stability, mitigation of soil erosion and safeguarding of ecological integrity.

The PIL relates to rampant hill cutting in and around Guwahati and the city’s perennial flood problem.