Hundreds of people from six villages staged a protest in Assam’s Tinsukia district on Tuesday against the proposed rehabilitation of 334 families from Laika in the Tirap Reserved Forest area near Phaneng-Kenia.
The protest, organised by the Greater Phaneng-Kenia Balijan Land Protection Committee, saw the participation of a large number of men and women from the affected villages.
The protesters marched to the National Highway and gathered in front of the Patkai Gate at Jagun, raising slogans against the state government’s rehabilitation plan. They alleged that relocating the Laika families to the area would adversely affect the interests of the local population and demanded that the proposal be withdrawn.
The demonstration marked a renewed expression of opposition by residents of Phaneng-Kenia, who have been raising concerns over the government’s plan to rehabilitate the displaced Laika families in the Tirap Reserved Forest area.
The protesters urged the government to reconsider its decision and consult local stakeholders before proceeding with the rehabilitation process. They warned that the agitation would be intensified if their demands were not addressed.
The Assam government has proposed the rehabilitation of 334 Laika families who have been living in difficult conditions for years after being displaced from the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park area. However, the proposal has faced opposition from sections of the local population in the identified relocation site.
