The government of Assam announced yesterday that several structures located in eastern Guwahati, including a Ginger hotel operated by the Tata group, will be acquired for demolition. The hotel is part of 17 institutions which will be acquired and demolished by the govt to expand the Silsako Beel (lake), a vital waterbody in the Assam capital.
Silsako is one of the several lakes in Guwahati, and several stormwater drains empty into it. These lakes are vital for the drainage of rainwater from the city during the monsoon season. But over the last several years, the lake has shrunk substantially due to encroachment. Shrinkage of the water bodies has been identified as one of the major reasons for flooding that Guwahati sees every year during the monsoon.
To solve the problem of flooding, the Himanta Biswa Sarma government has started eviction of encroachments from the water bodies, including the lakes and riverbanks, in Guwahati. As part of this, the eviction of structures around the Silsako lake started on 27 February, and a large number of houses constructed within 100 meters of the lake were demolished.
However, several institutions, including the Ginger Hotel, the office and tennis courts of the All Assam Tennis Association, a Hotel Management Institute, and several other such institutions could not be demolished, even though they were constructed on the lake. This is because these institutions were allotted land at the area by the previous Congress government. Himanta Biswa Sarma was a minister in the Tarun Gogoi government at that time. He was also holding Guwahati Development Ministry for some time.
However, during the demolition drive, the CM had said that all structures within the lake area will be demolished, and the govt will legally acquire the institutions which were allotted land by the govt earlier. Even the households who were staying in the area prior to 2008 will be rehabilitated, the CM has assured. Assam govt has also promised some of the organisations to allot them land somewhere else.
Silsako Beel was declared a protected wetland by the govt under the Guwahati Water Bodies (Preservation and Conservation) Act, 2008, prohibiting construction and settlement in the designated area.
Housing and Urban Affairs minister Ashok Singhal yesterday announced that the govt will acquire a total of 179 Bigha 17 Lecha land allotted to 17 institutions. “Govt. of Assam will acquire a total area admeasuring 179 Bigha 17 Lecha in the Silsako Beel area, currently allotted to 17 institutions/organisations. Hotel Ginger is also one of the organisations whose land will be acquired,” he tweeted.
Govt. of Assam will acquire a total area admeasuring 179 Bigha 17 Lecha in the Silsako Beel area, currently allotted to 17 institutions/organisations.
— Ashok Singhal (@TheAshokSinghal) March 11, 2023
Hotel Ginger is also one of the organisations whose land will be acquired. pic.twitter.com/JHEOXaJAvU
Ashok Singhal posted a list of 17 institutions identified for acquisition by the govt for demolition. However, the name of Hotel Ginger does not appear on the list of 17 institutions posted by minister Singhal. This is because the hotel is built on land leased from the Institute of Hotel Management. The IHM was allotted 20 bighas of land by the Tarun Gogoi govt, and the hotel was built on a part of this land taken on lease for 33 years. The hotel pays an amount of ₹3 lakh per month to IHM including the lease rent and profit variable.
These 17 institutions were identified after the state govt had directed the Kamrup (Metro) Deputy Commissioner to give details of lands allotted by the government to various organizations in Silsako Beel.
The decision to acquire Ginger Hotel and other institutions will shut the criticism of the eviction drive by the opposition parties, who were alleging that the BJP govt will not touch the rich and will only evict the common people.
Earlier on 1 March, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had informed that he has asked the DC to take steps to immediately shift institutes like Hotel Ginger, Omiyo Kumar Das Institute and others from Silsako. “We must remembering Wetlands are natural solution to the global threat of climate change,” he had said.
I have instructed the DC, Kamrup (Metro) to take steps to immediately shift institutions like Hotel Zinger, OKD Institutions of Social Change, etc. from Silsako. We must remembering Wetlands are natural solution to the global threat of climate change.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) March 1, 2023
Apart from Ginger Hotel and the Institute of Hotel Management, the other institutions identified for acquisition by the govt are Asam Sahitya Sabha, All Assam Tennis Association, Cooperative Management Institute, Titabor Bhawan, Koch-Rajbongshi Sanmilani, Madhyamik Shikshak Santha, Omiyo Kumar Das Institute, All Assam Moitri Coordination Council, Assam Tea Labourer Welfare Council, Hengrabari Junior College, National Institute of Television and Theatre, Assam Assembly Secretariat Housing Quarters, Tepuram Teron High School, TV Centre Housing Colony, a high school and an animal care centre.
Among these, Sahitya Sabha and Assembly Secretariat Housing Quarters were allotted 50 bighas each, Hotel Management Institute and TV Centre Housing Colony were allotted 20 bighas each, while all others were given small plots of 1 to 7 bighas.
Interestingly, Hotel Ginger in Guwahati has said that they are not aware of any plan by govt to shift it and even announced renovation plans a few days ago. The hotel management said that they are planning to start its internal and external renovation next month. “We have no plan of shifting, neither have we been asked by anyone. We are planning on our internal and external renovation which is scheduled to start on April 15,” a senior employee of the Ginger Guwahati said.
However, as the land was allotted to Hotel Management Institute and not the hotel, any eviction notice will be sent to the institute by the govt, and the hotel may not receive any direct communication from the govt. As stated above, Ginger Guwahati is built on land leased from IHM which was allotted land by the state govt in the lake area.
According to a Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority’s letter to the govt shared by the minister, a total of 269 structures built on encroached land were demolished around Silsako lake. The demolished structures included 4 temples, 1 mosque and 1 Namgar.
The Silsako Beel development plan will expand the elongated lake to create a 200-metre-wide channel of approximately 2.5 km length. Apart from it, a round lake with developed banks will be created on the wider section of the lake, which will be modelled on the Kankariya lake in Ahmedabad and Gopi Talav in Surat.
