Guwahati: The Congress in Assam on Tuesday sought Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya’s help to halt a proposed mining project in the state’s hill district of Dima Hasao.A Congress delegation, led by its state chief Bhupen Kumar Borah, met the governor and submitted a memorandum to him against the project.”…We wish to inform you that a large geographical area is being proposed for handover to facilitate this mining project… The Chief Minister of Assam is making moves to allocate approximately 9,000 bighas of land in the Dima Hasao district to benefit a corporate group with close ties to the BJP,” the Congress wrote in the memorandum.Alleging that the state government is disregarding the concerns and sentiments of the indigenous communities in Dima Hasao, the party said it is a matter of survival and safeguarding the land and rights of the locals. “The Assam Pradesh Congress, along with its MPs and MLAs, is fully committed to defending these rights and will strongly raise the issue in both Parliament and Assembly,” the Congress said, adding that Dima Hasao has already “sacrificed” significant portions of its land for various projects.The Congress said the people of Dima Hasao had submitted numerous memorandums to the district and state authorities over time and also halted the forest department from surveying forest areas in some villages which will be affected by the mining project.”…as per the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, there is restriction on the de-reservation of forests or use of forest land for non-forest purposes. The proposed mining project will impact jhum cultivation and ecological integrity of caves and community reserve forests,” the party said.Claiming that land was “auctioned off” without the consent of local communities, the Congress demanded the cancellation of land allotment for the mining project. It cautioned that the project would result in the displacement of indigenous people from their ancestral lands.
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