Guwahati: Anger is simmering in Namrup in Assam’s Dibrugarh district after the district administration allegedly destroyed standing paddy fields to construct a helipad and an access road for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, triggering outrage among local farmers and residents.
Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to address a public rally at Namrup on Sunday (December 21) and lay the foundation stone of a brownfield ammonia-urea complex at the existing Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited (BVFCL) premises. However, preparations for the high-profile visit have come at a steep cost to local farmers, whose ripe paddy fields were flattened just days before harvest.
Residents allege that the administration dumped sand and gravel on fertile paddy fields at Hafljan in the Namrup area, completely destroying crops that were ready to be harvested. Videos and photographs circulating on social media show vast stretches of flattened fields, prompting widespread condemnation of what many have called administrative arrogance and apathy towards farmers.
“The administration destroyed our paddy by dumping sand and gravel for a helipad. How senseless can they be? Don’t they have even basic common sense?” a visibly upset woman said in a video that has gone viral.
In another clip, a woman farmer is seen confronting district officials on the spot, questioning why alternative sites were not considered and why no effort was made to protect the crops. “Don’t you know how to work without destroying paddy fields? You people have no common sense. How could you do this to our land?” she is heard saying.
Social media users have sharply criticised the administration’s actions. Sharing images of the damaged fields, one user wrote, “This is the prototype of our so-called development. Paddy fields are destroyed overnight, and farmers are left helpless, not knowing where to go or whom to approach.” Another user commented, “We have nothing against a public meeting. But destroying a farmer’s field like this is unforgivable.”
Farmers have also alleged that they were neither consulted nor adequately compensated for the loss of their crops, raising serious questions about the administration’s adherence to due process and sensitivity towards livelihoods.
Repeated attempts to contact Dibrugarh Deputy Commissioner Bikram Kairi for a response went unanswered.