Digboi: The Laika Bangaon Resettlement Demand Committee has renewed its appeal to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for the urgent rehabilitation of hundreds of displaced families, many of whom have lived in temporary shelters for over four years. A detailed memorandum was submitted through the Tinsukia Deputy Commissioner, urging swift government intervention ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
According to the committee, the Government of India, through Proposal No. FP/AS/REHAB/120428/2021, approved 238 hectares of land on March 21, 2021, for the resettlement of 572 displaced families from within the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. The land, located in the Namfai Tapu and Paharpur areas under the proposed Digboi Forest Division, was meant to ensure permanent rehabilitation.
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However, only about 160 families—around 20 percent—have been resettled in Namfai Tapu, while 412 families continue to await relocation. Expressing gratitude for partial progress, the committee lamented that most families still face hardship and social displacement.
Earlier, the affected villagers organized a mass rally demanding their rightful rehabilitation. Youth leader Minturaj Morang, who led the protest, said, “Our villages were brought under the Forest and National Park Act, forcing us to leave our ancestral homes. People are struggling to survive under rigid forest laws.”
The main obstacle, the committee noted, lies in the Paharpur area, where the Forest Department faces resistance from existing settlers and tea garden owners. This land dispute has stalled the relocation of remaining families.
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The memorandum, signed by Migang Paris Morang and Nigang Vidyaram Tarak, urged the Chief Minister to complete the entire resettlement process by November 2025, warning that if action is not initiated within 10 days, residents will resume protests “in a democratic manner.”
