4 years on: Laika families give Assam govt 10-day ultimatum on land

Digboi: The Laika Bangaon Resettlement Demand Committee has renewed its urgent appeal to Assam 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 Tinsukia Deputy Commissioner, pressing for immediate government intervention before the upcoming Assembly elections.

Approved Land and Lingering Uncertainty

The memorandum highlights that the Government of India, via Online Proposal No. FP/AS/REHAB/120428/2021, approved 238 hectares of land on March 21, 2021, for the resettlement of 572 Laika Bangaon families.

These families were displaced from within the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. The approved land is located in the Namfai Tapu and Paharpur areas under the proposed Digboi Forest Division.

According to the committee, only about 160 families—roughly 20 percent of those affected—have been successfully settled in Namfai Tapu. The remaining 412 families continue to wait in uncertainty. While the committee expressed gratitude to the Government of Assam for the progress, it lamented that the majority of families still face hardship and social displacement.

Rallying for Rightful Claim

Earlier in the day, the affected people organized a mammoth rally, demanding their rightful claim to rehabilitation. Protesters alleged that the government had declared the forested Dibru-Saikhowa area 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, stressed that it is 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,” he added.

The committee decided to temporarily halt its agitation—which had been planned to continue indefinitely—after receiving assurances from authorities to expedite the process and a promise of a meeting with Education Minister Ronoj Pegu, Morang added.

Paharpur Land Dispute Halts Process

The most significant roadblock is the competency of the Forest Department under the Digboi Forest Division to reclaim the earmarked Paharpur area under the Lekhapani Forest Range. This is 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 serious uncertainty about whether the land can be recovered for resettlement.

Adding to the challenge, Paharpur residents, particularly already settled tribal communities who have been living there for decades, have previously resisted the Forest Department’s move through community-led agitations and protests. This resistance, coupled with administrative hurdles, has severely delayed the rehabilitation process.

Committee Demands Clear Deadline

The committee reiterated three core demands in its memorandum. First, the government must immediately resettle all remaining Laika residents on the land approved by the Government of India.

The committee argues this is essential to make Dibru-Saikhowa a truly protected National Park while ensuring justice for displaced families. Second, the Chief Minister must give special administrative priority to the resettlement issue and direct all concerned departments to fast-track the required procedures, noting that prolonged bureaucratic delays have worsened the humanitarian crisis.

Third, the entire resettlement process must be completed by November 2025, setting a clear deadline for action.

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.

It also 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."