A protest, inspired by the 1973 Chipko Movement to protect and preservetrees, was staged in Guwahati on Tuesday against the state’s government move to fell trees “over 100 years old” at the historic Dighalipukhuri, considered to be the city’s green lungs, to build anover 5km-long flyover in the city.

Over three hundred “concerned citizens” of the city, from educationists, activists, lawyers to students, doctors and former government officials, took part in the three-hour protest.

The participants gathered at Dighalipukhuri, held a meeting and took out a march around the historic rectangular half-a-mile-long pond, to protect the trees.

The participants also sent a representation to the Gauhati High Court Chief Justice seeking his intervention and by evening they decided that they would start holding night vigil from Tuesday night.

Some of the protesters were seen hugging/embracing/surrounding the trees along the lines of the non-violent Chipko movement, mostly led by women, in the then Uttar Pradesh for protection and preservation of trees/forests, which were to be cleared for infrastructure projects.

A protest was also held by the Cotton College SFI unit on Monday. There is also a protest by a right-wing group on Wednesday.

One of the actively involved protesters, Indranee Dutta, former professor and director of the Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development, told The Telegraph, “Like the Chipko movement we have decided to protect the trees through night vigil from tonight itself. We will be guarding the trees throughout the night by people in batches. We are not against development but not at the cost of the ecology and heritage.”

Mowsam Hazarika, former director, of Assam Seedand Organic Certification Agency and Prominent People’s Science Activist, said Tuesday’s protest “echoes the spirit of the Chipko movement, where individuals embraced trees to prevent their destruction”.