Congress leader writes to NHRC over land protests in Assam's

Congress leader DebabrataSaikia wrote to the National Human Rights Commission onMonday, alleging gross injustice to a section of people of theST and OBC communities in Tinsukia and Nagaon districts ofAssam due to violation of their land rights by the stategovernment.

Saikia, leader of the Congress legislature party,alleged that the government was trying to evict around 1,300ST and Other Backward Class (OBC) families who were settled inthe Laika-Dadhia area of the Dibru-Saikhowa Wildlife Sanctuaryin Tinsukia district after the major earthquake of 1950.

Saikia asserted that the affected people have beenstaging a protest since December last year at a make-shiftsite near Tinsukia district deputy commissioner's office.

He claimed that three of them, including a pregnantwoman, died as they were unable to bear the chill of winter,while many others are suffering from fever.

Citing a report by the Tinsukia deputy commissioner'soffice, he said that it proves ''that the affected familieshave been living in Laika-Dadhia since the 1950s and beforethe area was notified as a Wildlife Sanctuary. Hence, theirdemands ought to be heeded by the Government of Assam and theyshould not be compelled to stage protests by braving the coldweather''.

He further stated that successive generations of thecommunities have been cultivating land as tenant farmers inMikir Bamuni Grant area under the Samaguri revenue circle ofNagaon district since 1981.

''However, at the behest of the state government, theNagaon district administration is handing over the land inquestion to a private solar power company. This has been donewithout any proper notification to the affected people andmany of them were given only one day's notice to file theirobjections, if any,'' Saikia added.

Quoting the Assam (Temporarily Settled Areas) TenancyAct, 1971, which provides for bestowing of ownership rights onfarmers who cultivate a specific plot of land for three yearsin succession, Saikia maintained that these people have beentilling the land in Mikir Bamuni Grant much longer than that.

''This sort of harassment and illegal deprivation ofthe fundamental land rights in both cases was a violation ofbasic human rights besides violating various provisions ofSection 3 of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention ofAtrocities) Act, 1989,'' he alleged.

The Congress leader urged the NHRC to take suo motucognisance of the matter and initiate urgent steps to ensurethat the people of the ST and OBC communities are not deprivedof their land and livelihood.

Meanwhile, Tinsukia wildlife division of the forestdepartment on Monday said a meeting under the chairmanship ofchief minister was convened on December 30 last year todiscuss about relocation and rehabilitation of people of Laikaand Dadhia villages which are inside the Dibru-SaikhowaNational Park.

It was decided in the meeting that the villagers ofDadhia would be rehabilitated in Lakhimpur district and peopleof Laika in Tinsukia, the department said in a statement.

As decided in the meeting, the Assam government had onJanuary 5 constituted a committee comprising the environmentand forest minister, the revenue and disaster managementminister, Lakhimpur MP, Chabua and Dhernaji MLAs, it said.

The principal secretary of the environment and forestdepartment, principal chief conservator of forests and othersenior officials are also members of the panel.

The committee would find a permanent solution withinone month and will submit a working plan for rehabilitation ofthe villagers to the government, it said.

''Accordingly, the proposal to rehabilitate the Dadhiaand Laika forest villages (sic) has been sent to theGovernment of Assam on January 8 for immediate in-principleapproval,'' the statement added.

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