Displaced Laika Bangaon families seek CM’s action on resettlement before 2026 polls
New memorandum submitted to CM Sarma seeks urgent action to resettle displaced families, calls for completion by November 2025
Massive rally organized by displaced families (Photo: AT)
Digboi, Oct 19: The Laika Bangaon Resettlement Demand Committee has renewed its appeal to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for the speedy rehabilitation of hundreds of displaced families, many of whom have been living in temporary shelters for more than four years.
The committee submitted a detailed memorandum through the Deputy Commissioner of Tinsukia district on Friday, pressing for immediate government intervention before the upcoming Assembly elections.
The memorandum recalled that the Government of India, through online proposal No. FP/AS/REHAB/120428/2021, had approved 238 hectares of land in the Namphai Tapu and Paharpur areas under the proposed Digboi Forest Division on March 21, 2021, for the resettlement of 572 Laika Bangaon families displaced from inside the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park.
According to the committee, around 160 families – roughly 20% of those affected – have been successfully settled in Namphai Tapu. However, the remaining 412 families continue to wait in uncertainty. While the committee expressed gratitude to the Government of Assam and the district administration for the progress made so far, it lamented that the majority of families still face hardship and social displacement.
A mammoth rally was organized by the affected people, demanding their rightful claim to rehabilitation. Protesters alleged that the government had declared the forested Dibru-Saikhowa area as a National Park despite human habitation already existing there, and later evicted the villagers in the name of conservation.
Youth leader Minturaj Morang, who led the rally, said it was the government’s moral and administrative responsibility to ensure the resettlement of the displaced community.
“Our villages were brought under the Forest and National Park Regulation Act, forcing us to move out of our ancestral lands,” Morang said. “People are struggling to sustain their livelihoods under the rigid forest laws. It has become extremely difficult to lead a normal life.”
Morang further added that after receiving assurances from the authorities to expedite the process and a promise of a meeting with Cabinet Minister Dr Ronoj Pegu, the committee decided to temporarily halt its agitation, which had otherwise been planned to continue indefinitely.
However, questions are now being raised about the competency of the Forest Department under the Digboi Forest Division to reclaim the earmarked Paharpur area under the Lekhapani Forest Range, where the remaining families are supposed to be relocated. Reports indicate that much of the Paharpur land is already occupied by settlers and tea gardens owned by private businessmen, creating uncertainty about whether the land can be recovered for resettlement.
Adding to the challenge, Paharpur residents had earlier resisted the Forest Department’s move through community-led agitations and protests, particularly from already settled tribal communities who have been living there for decades. This resistance, coupled with administrative hurdles, has further delayed the rehabilitation process.
In the memorandum, the committee reiterated its first demand that the government should immediately resettle all Laika residents on the land approved by the Government of India. The move, they said, is essential to make Dibru-Saikhowa a truly protected National Park while ensuring justice for displaced families.
Their second demand urged the Chief Minister to give special administrative priority to the resettlement issue and direct all concerned departments to fast-track the required procedures. The committee noted that prolonged bureaucratic delays have worsened the humanitarian crisis faced by the affected families.
The third demand called for the completion of the resettlement process by November 2025, setting a clear deadline for action. The committee said this would not only offer long-overdue relief to the displaced population but also reflect the government’s commitment to social and environmental responsibility.
The memorandum cautioned that if the process is not initiated within 10 days, the people of Laika Bangaon will be “forced to take to the streets again in a democratic manner” to press their demands.
By Correspondent