Dima Hasao: Villagers stage sit in protest against extraction of stones from Diyung river

Guwahati: After the stone mining of the famous Panimur waterfall, the stone mining of the Diyung river has now come into focus and the locals of Haflong in Assam's Dima Hasao are not too happy about it.

People of 7 villages who resided near Diyung river on Friday staged a sit-in protest here on river shore near New Haflong railway station against the extraction of stones from the river. The protesters are from those villages which have severely affected by river mining.

The sit-in protest started from 11 am to 4 pm and the villagers later submitted a memorandum to the principal secretary to the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council citing their demands for the immediate stoppage of the mining. They also demanded stringent action against those involved in the mining activities.

The mining of stones in the Diyung river started since activation of the BG route in the district in 2015, sources said. It is also being alleged that the stones are being transported to Manipur, Tripura and other states for construction purposes.

Meanwhile, NCHAC CEM in his speech on this Independence Day said that he will not allow any stones to be exported outside the district.

Diyung is the main river in the district and it contributes 50% of water supply to Haflong and thus, is considered as the lifeline of the district. But, due to mining with heavy machinery, the water level had receded and turned murky. The mining also heavily affects the aquatic life of the river, locals have said.

Apart from the aquatic life, it also affects the locals, who earn their wages by breaking stones which are used for construction in localities. It also affected local fishermen who catch small fish to sell in the market.

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