OUR CORRESPONDENT
KOKRAJHAR: The All Assam Tribal Students’ Union (AATSU) strongly criticized the government of Assam for its failure to protect the land of indigenous tribal communities and allotment of tribal land to rich people of the country.
In a statement, the president of AATSU Hareswar Brahma said the act of Assam government and the authority of Dima Hasao Council to give out 9000 bighas of land to Adani for setting up a large cement factory in Umrangsu was a matter of concern for the indigenous tribal people as the government will conduct eviction in nine tribal villages in Dima Hasao to ensure the deal with Adani. He said the State government was trying to serve the interest of the capitalist by evicting hundreds of families from Dimasa, Karbi-Anglong, Kuki and other ethnic groups in Umrangsu area. The BJP government is going to sell the nation. The land of the indigenous people goes to Gujarati businessmen having close affinity to BJP, whereas, even after the notification of the Gauhati High Court (PIL 78/2012), a total of 5 lakh bighas of tribal land being illegally occupied by non-tribals are not evicted from the tribal belt & blocks but tribal people are being evicted from the tribal lands,” he said adding that these anti-tribal minds and acts of the Assam Government is condemnable. He also said AATSU will strongly oppose the government’s anti- tribal moves.
Brahma said, “We know that Dima Hasao is a sixth schedule area which includes protection of tribal rights and culture, local self-governance through autonomous district councils, control over land and its resources, preservation of traditional customs, laws, and social practices and promoting socio-economic development and welfare of tribal. According to the law as per the Constitution of India six schedule areas is totally protected and hence, land of six-schedule area can’t be transferred to any other non-protected class.
Moreover, the Holongapar Gibbon sanctuary was also handed over to the Vedanta Group for natural gas exploration and oil exploration in Assam, He said, “AATSU calls for the withdrawal of proposed mining in the Gibbon Sanctuary, home to the rare Hoolock Gibbon in the interest of preserving the natural balance.” He also said the inevitable mass evictions in Umrangsu in Dima Hasao for the purpose of so-called mega projects of capitalist’s cement factory measuring 9000 bighas will depict the historic and continuous injustices to the indigenous people of the locality in question in particular as well as the slow and the steady colonization of the abodes of indigenous in general.
The AATSU president said according to the United Nations declaration of the rights of indigenous people vide resolutions adopted by the General Assembly in 107th plenary meeting on September 13, 2007. In this declaration here are 46 charters of articles envisaged, protects, safety rights to self-determination to lead a dignified life and living, right to self-determination, the issues of sustainable development, rights for not to be forced assimilation of indigenous tribal people. The similar rights bestowed are rights to protect language culture as well as indigenous traditional knowledge, he added.
“In view of such circumstances the so-called issues notice of mass evictions is indeed an ill designed of all concerned a sheer negligence exploitation of the most vital international covenant of utmost importance. Since the locality in question is a six-schedule area where in such kind of eviction is nigh impossible constitutionally the whole matter seems to be an absolute negligence, exploitation and suppression to the indigenous peoples who are responsible for the sustainability of whole some and healthy environment”, he said adding that the AATSU has strongly put their demand that the tribal land can’t be exploited for favour of anybody transferring to any particular businessman; it is amounting to violation of six schedule provision of Constitution of India and therefore, the government of India and Assam should not violate the six-schedule provision of Assam and protect tribal people and six schedule areas.
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