GUWAHATI: Tribal people residing in surrounding areas of the present greater Guwahati area have raised the voice of protest against the incumbent BJP-led Assam government’s bid to develop Assam State Capital Region (ASCR) by incorporating a vast area much beyond the present periphery of the capital city.
The tribal people of those areas feared that in the process of formation of the state capital region area the present tribal belts in the proposed area would be demolished posing threat to the existence of the indigenous communities.
Nearly 20,000 tribal people gathered at Boko, in Kamrup district and about 60 kms from Guwahati, on Tuesday to register their protest against inclusion of tribal belt areas in the proposed Assam State Capital Region (ASCR).
The rally was organized by Rabha tribal bodies and over 20 organisations, representing different indigenous tribes and other communities of the state, participated in it.
Tankeswar Rabha of Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council alleged that the plan to uproot the tribals from their ancestral land in the name of development would pose a threat to the identity of these people in the long run.
He pointed that most of the areas in Guwahati city, within which capital Dispur is located, were erstwhile tribal-inhabited areas but taken over by the government or other people as the capital region expanded.
Rabha expressed apprehension that further expansion of the capital region to the other tribal areas would cause massive dislocation of the indigenous people.
Other organizations which attended the rally and expressed solidarity to the Rabhas’ concern were All Assam Students’ Union, All Assam Tribal Sangha, Karbi Students Union, All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union and All Assam Koch-Rajbonshi Students’ Union.
The State Assembly had passed a bill on September 15 last for establishment of a regional development authority for preparation of a plan for the development of the Assam State Capital Region which, will include areas under five districts – Kamrup (M), Kamrup, Nalbari, Darrang and Morigaon.
The government while passing the Bill had assured of seeking NoCs from concerned departments and Rabha Hasong and Tiwa autonomous councils for inclusion of its tribal land in the ASCR