Assam: People of affected villages in Dima Hasao district launch indefinite dharna

HAFLONG : People of at least 29 affected villages in Dima Hasao district, who have been affected due to land dumping owing to the construction of the NH 27 road (earlier NH 54), have launched an indefinite dharna at Haflong from Monday. The protest was led by the Indigenous Students Forum (ISF), the Indigenous Women Forum (IWF), and NHAI. People have demonstrated a sit-in at Jatinga Point on NH 27. The sit-in dharna has heavily affected the traffic movement in the area. Later, the protester moved to NHAI's Project Implementing Unit office in Haflong to inquire about the cause of the delay in the payment. Surprisingly, no officials of NHAI were present for the interaction. ISF president David Keivom said, "We have launched indefinite dharna with the land owners of 29 villages. It was announced that we would be compensated by the NHAI and the railway. The railway has already compensated us with the intervention of then-Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in 2020. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also directed the NHAI on January 25, 2022, to compensate us. The NHAI also agreed to do so. Whatever necessary bill was required to be given to the NHAI by the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) was already handed over. But the NHAI, despite being told by the Chief Minister or the Home Department, is not paying heed." Keivom added that the NHAI told them that they would do black topping of the Jatinga-Harangajao stretch road and sought 6 months to do that, and the road is still the same after 9 months and has further deteriorated. "We will continue agitation until our demand is met," he added.

As per the forum, over 945 families residing along Nrimbanglo-Harangajao have been affected due to land dumping at their paddy field, for which the bill amount of Rs 32 crore has been presented by the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council's revenue department to the NHAI for compensation. "A large area of my fertile land where we earn our livelihood was destroyed by the construction company. Whenever we approach the company, they make a false complaint of threatening them with arms. If we are compensated, how will my family survive? We have lost our land and source of livelihood," a woman from Nrimbanglo said. "Over 6 bighas of my land where I produce pineapple, pan, orange, and ginger have been destroyed by the dumping of earth by the company. Now that the land is of no use, I cannot plant any crops or build a house there. Over 10 years have passed since I asked them for compensation, but they don't pay any heed to our grievance," an elderly woman from Jatinga village said.

The East-West Corridor, a dream project of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to connect south Assam's Silchar with Gujarat's Saurashtra (via road), was announced by Vajpayee on October 10, 1998. The foundation stone of the project was laid in 2004, and the 3,300-kilometre Silchar-Saurashtra road was supposed to be completed by 2007.

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