‘No new electric line for hill areas’

Guwahati: To stop further encroachment of the hills surrounding the city, the Kamrup (Metro) district administration asked Assam Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (APDCL) to refrain from sanctioning new electricity connections in the hill area.
Unscientific earth-cutting and filling in the hills have destabilized natural earth slopes, blocked natural drains, triggered severe landslides and artificial floods and caused waterlogging during monsoon.“Hill-cutting degrades the environment and ecological balance. So, I have asked APDCL not to provide new electric connection in the hill areas,” said DC M Angamuthu.
The applicants now have to obtain a no-objection certificate from the district disaster management authority (DDMA). This direction is issued according to provisions of Sections 30.2 (III) (V), (XX), (XXIII) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
There are around 70,000 families residing in the hills, according to a 2011 survey by an NGO. “Most families have encroached on the hills in the last five years and so. The speed with which they get electricity connection is surprising,” said an environment activist.