Guwahati: Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) on Monday demolished the building of Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) as a part of an ongoing eviction drive to clear the Silsako Beel of encroachment to resolve the recurring issue of urban flooding in and around the area.The IHM, a central govt institute, was established in 1984 and was known as ‘Food and Craft Institute’ with its temporary campus located in the city’s Beltola area. It became officially known as IHM in 1995 and was shifted to VIP Road in the Hengrabari area of the city in 2006 by encroaching about 4.95 acres of the wetland. Over the years, large-scale encroachments reduced the wetland from 450 acres to approximately 80 acres. The waterbody has been serving as a natural rain water reservoir. So far, govt has been able to reclaim over 270 acres of the wetland’s area in its drive since May.GMDA aims to revert the wetland back to its original area which would have a water holding capacity of 3.5 million cubic meters.Housing and urban affairs minister Jayanta Mallabaruah was present during the demolition along with GMC mayor Mrigen Sarania and GMDA chairman Narayan Deka.Speaking to the media, Mallabaruah said, “To address the city’s flooding issues, we are relocating institutions and other structures situated within the Silsako area. As part of this effort, we are demolishing these buildings one by one. This particular institute occupied around 15 bighas of land and had a significant number of students enrolled. However, in the interest of the city’s long-term flood mitigation, the institute is being shifted.“The minister said the institute will be shifted to a 30-bigha plot of land at Sonapur. The minister said the tennis complex of All Assam Tennis Association and Ginger Hotel — the last two structures situated within the wetland premises — will also be demolished in the coming month.In the meantime, classes will be conducted temporarily at the building in the city’s Christian Basti area, which is owned by the state industry department. Hostel students would be temporarily accommodated in a flat at the Games Village in the Borsojai area of the city, which is owned by the GMDA.This is the third govt institute to be demolished as part of the wetland expansion project, following the removal of Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development and the Institute of Cooperative Management, which were occupying 26.76 bighas and 5 bighas of land, respectively.
