Guwahati: Hundreds of people on Tuesday staged a massive protest against the Assam government’s proposed township project at Borduwar on Guwahati outskirts and a dam on the Kulsi River along the Meghalaya border.
The protest, organized by the Land Patta Demand Committee, took place at Borduwar Bagan playground under the Palashbari constituency. Demonstrators shouted slogans against the projects and refused to give up their land.
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There is strong opposition to both the hydropower project at Ukiam and the satellite townships at Borduwar. The protesters held a large citizens’ meeting where they voiced several demands: cancellation of satellite townships that would displace residents, issuance of land pattas (land titles) to indigenous people in Barduar Bagan, protection of tribal belts and blocks, provision of a maximum of 29.5 bighas of land to forest dwellers as per the Forest Rights Act, protection of the biodiversity of the tourist destination ‘Chandubi Lake’, immediate halt to the eviction of indigenous people in the name of “development,” cessation of the hydropower project construction on the Kulsi River in Ukiam, stopping the construction of a logistics park in the Darabil wetlands, and an end to the “inhumane” eviction in Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao, BTR, and various other parts of Assam.
The meeting was chaired by Govind Rabha, chief convener of the Bhoomi Pattan Demand Committee, with Aditya Nag, secretary of the Bagan Land Patta Demand Committee, explaining the objectives.
Retired IAS officer John Engti Kathar participated in the meeting, alleging a conspiracy to rob indigenous people of their land. He stressed that protest is the only way to protect their land.
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Moina Goswami, representing the literary and cultural organization Sadichcha, urged people not to be divided, claiming the government seeks to divide them for its own interests.
Guwahati High Court advocate Kishor Kumar Kalita affirmed, “If the people are united, no one can evict them.”
He advised people to properly maintain their land documents and explained the implications of satellite townships, the Forest Act, and the Tenancy Act.
He asserted that the government cannot deprive or evict people of their land rights and emphasized the necessity of a unified struggle.
Advocate Krishna Gogoi echoed this, stating that the government would not dare to evict if the people remained persistent.
Passionate Calls for Resistance and Awareness
Ramen Singh Rabha, former president of the RSU, passionately stated, “If you don’t [do what is right], you don’t have to be afraid of anyone.”
He criticized what he perceived as the opportunistic character of Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC) chief Tankeshwar Rabha, who he claimed was too close to Dispur to oppose the township.
“We need a lease for the land. No township is required,” he declared, adding, “We are not vultures who rob others, we are like eagles. We are not men who drink red wine. We will stand with the people until their foundation is secure.”
He urged awareness, emphasizing that the people do not want “Ambani’s township” and demanded land leases based on either the Tenancy Act or the Forest Rights Act.
Speakers condemned the BJP government for its “atrocities” against people and nature, urging attendees to identify “brokers and hypocrites” working for the government. They reiterated that the satellite township at Barduar, logistics park at Darabil, and dam construction in Ukiam would displace people.
Madan Das highlighted the need for an “inline permit” system in Assam, stating that its absence allowed “foreign banias, Ambani, and Adani” to take their land. Jayant Rabha, an office bearer of the Assam-Meghalaya Joint Prevention Committee, asserted that the governments are threatening human lives and biodiversity by seizing land and river rights.
Aditya Rabha, advisor to the Bhumi Patton Demand Committee, warned the BJP-led coalition government against handing over 1,500 acres of land to GMDA and evicting landless people in Barduar for satellite township projects. He also mentioned that various ethnic groups, including Rabha, Garo, and Adivasi, would conduct a road blockade in the Bagan area.