Altogether 28 people were arrested in Silchar for showing black flags to minister Pijush Hazarika on Thursday while he was laying the foundation stone of an amusement park of the Silchar Municipal Board at Gandhi Bagh in Silchar town.

They were released later.

Members of the Sammilito Sanskritik Mancha, the District Congress Committee and eminent citizens of Silchar strongly protested against the construction of the park there by the municipal board. They have warned that they would not tolerate damage to the town’s greenery.

They staged the protest with banners and placards in front of Assam’s minister of state (independent charge) for urban development, shouting slogans.

The Assam Progressive Developers Ltd (APDL) will construct the park within three years. The park will have water rides, a boating deck, a multipurpose hall and many more exciting features.

The board claimed that the project would generate employment opportunities, adding the park would be constructed without hampering the green ecosystem of Gandhi Bagh and without felling a single tree. The protesters on Tuesday decided to file a public interest litigation (PIL) at the National Green Tribunal (NGT). They also submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner of Cachar on Wednesday, demanding cancellation of park’s construction. They alleged the park would damage the sole green area of the town where the urban population get fresh air and the children can play under the shade of trees.

In his address after laying the foundation stone, Hazarika appealed to the cultural activists to come to discussion table. He iterated that the park would generate employment for educated youths.

Silchar MP Rajdip Roy, deputy Speaker Aminul Haque Laskar, former Union minister Kabindra Purka-yastha, among others, were also present on the occasion. The Congress protests was led by former MP and former chairperson of the municipal board, Sushmita Dev.

They blocked the road from Shillongpatty to Tarapur via Park Road to protest against the construction of the park.

Dev raised the slogan against the municipal board’s chairman Niharendra Narayan Thakur.