Ezar tree plantation to make Guwahati ‘purple city’: Himanta

Guwahati, Jul 15 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday that plantation of Ezar trees along the road from Khanapara to Jalukbari, which is the national highway 37 bypass for Guwahati, will be undertaken in keeping with the government’s plan to develop the state’s largest city as a ‘purple city’. The purple hue of the ‘kapou’ flower (foxtail orchid) is already being used by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) in the project for the city, he added. Speaking during a discussion on the government’s steps towards developing Guwahati as a ‘purple city’, Sarma said that besides the measures by GMC, the Public Works Department has also been asked to use the shade in its buildings wherever possible in the city. “The Forest department will initiate the plantation of Ezar trees from Khanapara to Jalukbari as part of the Guwahati Ring Road project,” he added. The GMC had earlier announced its plans of developing Guwahati as a ‘purple city’, inspired by the hues of the ‘kapou’, which is the state flower, and the purple summer bloom of Ezar tree or the Queen’s Crape Myrtle. The chief minister further said that Rs 150 crore has been allocated as part of the Ring Road project to provide relief from the flood problem in Jorabat area, on the outskirts of Guwahati, which acts as an entry point to Meghalaya. “The consultant for the Ring Road has been asked to draw up a plan and also talk to IIT-Guwahati experts for the flood problem mitigation,” Sarma, who represents Jalukbari constituency, one of the five Assembly seats of Guwahati, added. Raising the matter of the ‘purple city’ plan, BJP legislator Pradyut Bordoloi dwelt on the significance of choosing the colour for this largest city, often referred to as ‘gateway to the North East’. Besides the choice of the colour being inspired by the ‘kapou’ flower, he also mentioned how the Ezar trees had played a significant part in the Ahom battles against the Mughals at Saraighat. Bordoloi said the wood from the Ezar was used to construct the boats used by the Ahom naval fleet, which played the pivotal role in handing down a decisive defeat to the invading Mughals. Replying to Bordoloi, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Kaushik Rai said the decision to develop Guwahati as a ‘purple city’ was taken at a stakeholders’ meeting. He said various measures, including plantation of Ezar trees, have been initiated, besides steps to ensure a cleaner and greener Guwahati. PTI SSG NN