Haflong: Residents and Village Gaon Buras (village heads) of nine villages under the 21-Hadingma MAC Constituency in Assam’s Dima Hasao district have submitted a formal objection letter to the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Dima Hasao Forest Division (West), demanding the immediate withdrawal of a proposed stone mining plan along the Diyung Riverbed.
The objection, dated October 5, 2026, pertains to a proposal to extract stone from the Diyung Riverbed, stretching from the Diyung RCC bridge to Lodingbra (downstream).
The initiative, reportedly prepared under the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) and submitted for forest approval, has triggered widespread concern, shock and resentment among local indigenous communities.
In the official memorandum, representatives from Disru-Raji, Berelangdisa, Hojai, Jorai, Samparidisa, Nobdi Daulagupu, Gurbari, Disagutu and Boro Longren cited alleged procedural and legal violations.
They alleged that the project was initiated without mandatory public consultations, Gram Sabha consent or a Social Impact Assessment (SIA).
The memorandum further claimed that the mining proposal was artificially divided into block-wise segments, which local leaders said was intended to bypass mandatory public hearings and avoid environmental scrutiny.
Local representatives also cited past stone extraction activities along the Harangajao, Mahur and Jatinga rivers, which they said had caused severe riverbank erosion, loss of aquatic biodiversity, falling groundwater levels and lasting damage to agriculture and livelihoods.
“Both rivers are now ruined and ecologically degraded, serving as painful evidence of the dangers of unregulated riverbed mining,” the memorandum stated.
It warned that similar activities on the Diyung River, which serves as a source of drinking water and supports irrigation and fishing, could cause severe environmental damage and affect thousands of tribal residents.
The villagers and Gaon Buras have demanded the immediate stoppage and complete withdrawal of the proposed stone mining plan along the Diyung Riverbed.
They have also called for the cancellation of all related surveys, proposals and approval processes initiated without prior public consultation, along with the full disclosure of documents, surveys and maps linked to the proposal.
They further demanded prior public hearings and free, prior and informed consent from affected villages before any future action.
The signatories warned that if the mining proposal is not withdrawn immediately, they would launch protests, submit formal complaints to higher statutory bodies and initiate legal proceedings before appropriate environmental forums and courts.