Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday “distinguished” the protesters behind the campaign to protect the heritage trees at Dighalipukhuri in
Guwahati.

In a post on X, Sarma said there were “two kinds of protestors against” the construction 5.44km Noonmati-Dighalipukhuri flyover.

“Those who are anti-development and are trying to stall developmental works ahead of elections to gain political mileage. Those who genuinely care for the environment,” Sarma’s post said.

Sarma’s post came less than 15 hours after he inspected the under-construction flyover at Chandmari and reiterated before the media that there was no plan to cut trees at Dighalipukhuri ever, and now the government will complete the flyover before it reaches Dighalipukhuri, an iconic landmark steeped in history and greenery.

In the video uploaded with one of his posts after Tuesday night’s inspection, Sarma had similarly tried to “distinguish” the protesters.

“There are two sections of people, those who really want to protect the environment and there is section which want to see that the bridge is not completed before the elections (2026) so that people of Guwahati undergo misery and pain and they ultimately do not vote for the (ruling) BJP.”

The chief minister carried out the inspection on Tuesday night, hours after Gauhati High Court had issued notice to the Assam government to file an affidavit in response to the PIL.

The PIL is seeking a stay on the administration’s reported move to fell heritage trees, some over a hundred years old, in and around Dighalipukhuri for a flyover project as it could be “detrimental to the environment and eco-system as a whole”. The matter will come up for a hearing on November 13.

The Save Dighalipukhuri Forum, a collective of citizens behind the ongoing protests to save the heritage trees since Saturday, in a media release on Tuesday night welcomed Sarma’s personal assurance via X that no trees would be felled in the Dighalipukhuri area for the flyover but members of the forum said that the peaceful protest would continue so that people become aware of the need to save the city’s ecology.

The forum said on Wednesday that it would stand in solidarity with the citizens coordination committee to save the trees of Bharalumukh which is about 1.5km from Dighalipukhuri.

The committee is staging a human chain protest on Saturday to save around 70-plus trees which have reportedly been marked for felling.

The forum’s media release said that in an e-mail to Sarma on October 30, “we reiterate that we are not a barrier to sustainable development. Instead, we extend all possible cooperation for this entire project without compromising the heritage, environment, and beauty of the area. On behalf of the Save Dighalipukhuri Forum, we respectfully request that we be taken into confidence and that the Department of Public Works be directed to explore a reconsideration of the plan through discussion and that construction of the elevated corridor in this area be fully halted until a final decision on alternative options is reached.”

Stressing how Dighalipukhuri’s heritage is intrinsically linked with Guwahati’s history, as well as the intellectual and cultural heritage of the region, the forum in its media release said “concern has also been expressed by concerned citizens over plans to cut trees in other parts of Guwahati, particularly in Bharalumukh and Six Mile”.

The forum, which is seeking public consultation before the implementation of the infrastructure project, has said in its media release that to “ensure that this culture of public consultation comes throughout our city and our city’s remaining greenery is maintained, we will take this movement ahead to create more citizen participation and ownership”.