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States » EastPosted at: Apr 22 2025 10:52PM


Meghalaya: 4000 trees to be cut for crucial road project

Shillong, Apr 22 (UNI) More than 4000 trees will have to be cut in a reserved and deemed forest area, home to a large number of wildlife, for a crucial road improvement and widening project in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills.
The advisory committee of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has granted ‘in-principle’ approval for the diversion of 34.88 hectares of reserved and deemed forest area in East and North Garo Hills districts for improvement and widening of National Highway 127B road project under Bharatmala Pariyojana.
The Darugiri–Songsak–Williamnagar junction connects Meghalaya’s state capital Shillong via West Khasi Hills to East and North Garo Hills, bypassing Assam’s main city of Guwahati.
The District Forest Officers of East and North Garo Hills have acknowledged before the committee that the wildlife in this forested area includes “barking deer, leopard cat, wild boar, common fox, common mongoose, monitor lizard, Malayan giant squirrel, jungle fowl and other animals.
However, the Meghalaya forest department officials informed the committee that there are no protected areas which lie within a 10 km radius of the project, and no archaeological, heritage, or defence sites have been reported in the project area.
Moreover, the forest officials said that “there is no suitable alternative to avoid the Darugiri, Songsak, Rongrengiri reserved forests to construct the project road.”
Altogether it has been proposed to fell 4444 trees, out of which 1478 trees have girth below 60 cm and 2966 have girth above 60 cm and thus area falls under the Eco Class-1 or “Very Dense Forest” as per the MOEF and CC.
The government has proposed that compensatory afforestation work would be undertaken over 34.8877 hectare non-forest land in Dagal Bolmedangh village under Dambo Rongjeng Block.
The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. would improve and widen a section of National Highway No. 127B into two-lanes with paved shoulders from Darugiri to Willimanagar junction, a distance of 36.635 km.
The project would be undertaken in an Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) mode, and the decision to improve and widen it was taken after deliberation with forest officials from the state and central government.
The Meghalaya government said the proposed road project would benefit all citizens, as people from Shillong would reach Williamnagar, the district headquarters of East Garo Hills, without taking a circuitous route through Guwahati and save travel time, boost tourism, develop local industry, assist quick transportation of agro products and provide other developmental opportunities.
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