India, Feb. 11 -- Guwahati's already fragile ecological balance is facing a major new rupture. A massive ring road project, projected as a solution to traffic congestion and urban expansion, is set to cut through wetlands, forested hills and wildlife habitats along the eastern and southern edges of the city-areas that quietly protect Guwahati from floods, heat and human-animal conflict.

At the heart of the controversy is the 121-km Guwahati Ring Road, a Rs 5,729-5,730 crore project awarded by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to Ahmedabad-based Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon Pvt. Ltd under the Build-Operate-Toll (BOT) model. While the project promises faster connectivity and a northern bypass, environmental assessments an...