Digboi: The Laika Bangaon Resettlement Demand Committee has renewed its appeal to Assam Chief Minister Dr. 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, pressing for immediate government intervention before the upcoming Assembly elections.
The memorandum recalls that the Government of India, through Online Proposal No. FP/AS/REHAB/120428/2021, had approved 238 hectares of land in the Namfai 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 percent of those affected—have been successfully settled in Namfai 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.
Earlier in the day, a mammoth rally was organised 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.”
Mr. Morang further added that after receiving assurances from the authorities to expedite the process and a promise of a meeting with Cabinet Minister 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.
Signed by Migang Paris Morang, General Secretary, and Nigang Vidyaram Tarak, President of the Laika Bangaon Resettlement Demand Committee, the memorandum concluded with a heartfelt appeal to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to take decisive steps to end the long-standing suffering of the displaced families.
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