Assam: Gauhati High Court slams government over bighas of land to cement firm

Also Read: The Gauhati High Court on Monday emerged as the last remaining hope for the flora & fauna,air & aqua and the tribal people of Umrangso in Dima Hasao district of Assam.

The BJP ruled government of Assam has allotted a large part of land to a cement Company which the court has taken on its radar.

The next hearing is likely to be held in this very month.

The court has unleashed a scathing rebuke of the Assam government’s decision to allocate 3,000 bighas (approximately 991 acres) of tribal land in Dima Hasao district to Mahabal Cement Private Limited for a cement factory, describing itself as “perturbed, curious, and shocked” at the scale of the allotment in a constitutionally protected Sixth Schedule area.

During a hearing on September 1, 2025, Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi demanded whether environmental clearances were obtained for the project in Umrangso, a region revered as an ecological hotspot with hot springs, migratory bird habitats, and rich biodiversity.

The court’s stinging remarks, live-streamed on its official YouTube channel, have ignited a firestorm of public and political debate, spotlighting a broader battle, the survival of Dima Hasao’s pristine environment and the rights of its indigenous communities against the relentless march of so-called “development.” 

“This is not merely a question of land; it’s a question of whether we are willing to sacrifice an entire ecosystem and the heritage of tribal people for corporate gain,” said an  environmental activist  echoing the court’s concerns.

Dima Hasao, nestled in the verdant hills of southern Assam, is a biodiversity haven and a cultural stronghold for indigenous tribes like the Dimasa and Karbi, who have lived in harmony with its forests, rivers, and wildlife for centuries. The district, governed under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, is home to the Kopili and Diyung rivers, which sustain lush forests and rare species, including the Hoolock gibbon, Malayan sun bear, and migratory birds that flock to Umrangso’s wetlands. Its hot springs and granite cliffs are not just natural wonders but sacred sites for local communities practicing jhum (shifting) cultivation. 

“Our rivers are our lifeline, our forests our ancestors’ gift. To bulldoze them for a cement factory is to erase our identity,” said , a local youth leader and activist. 

The region’s ecological fragility, already strained by limestone and coal quarrying, faces an existential threat from industrial encroachment, with the court noting Umrangso’s status as an “environmental hotspot.”

The controversy erupted when 22 tribal petitioners, led by Sonesh Hojai, challenged the land allocation, alleging forced evictions from ancestral lands in villages like Nobdi Longkukro and Choto Larpheng. The North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) allotted 2,000 bighas in October 2024 and an additional 1,000 bighas in November 2024 to Mahabal Cement, a Kolkata-based firm acquired by JK Lakshmi Cement in February 2024. The company, which signed an Rs11,000 crore MoU at Assam’s Advantage Assam 2.0 summit, claims the land is “barren” and secured through a transparent tender process for a 30-year mining lease. Justice Medhi dismissed this defense, stating, “Your need is not the issue; public interest is the issue.” The court has ordered the NCHAC to submit policy records justifying the allotment by the next hearing, emphasizing that tribal rights and environmental safeguards must take precedence in a Sixth Schedule area.

The case has exposed deep tensions between industrial ambition and the preservation of Dima Hasao’s natural and cultural heritage.

 Environmentalists warn that the cement factory could devastate the region’s air and water quality, with limestone mining threatening the Kopili River’s flow and the area’s delicate aquifer systems. 

“The dust from cement plants will choke our air, and the rivers will carry toxins downstream, killing aquatic life and farmlands,” said  an ecologist studying Assam’s hill ecosystems. 

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The court’s focus on environmental clearances underscores these risks, as Umrangso’s wildlife and migratory bird populations face displacement. Meanwhile, opposition parties, including the Assam Congress, have accused the BJP-led government of “blatant crony capitalism,” alleging ties to corporate interests, though the Adani Group has denied any connection to Mahabal Cement.

The political fallout has been swift, with protests erupting across Dima Hasao. Villagers recall the shock of bulldozers arriving unannounced in July 2024, followed by reports of gunfire and a disputed Rs48 crore compensation scandal reportedly.

 “We were offered money and alternate land, but no amount can replace the forests where our ancestors are buried,” said a petitioner . 

The Assam government has formed a three-member committee to probe the allotment, but critics argue it’s a token gesture to deflect public outrage. The Congress has further alleged plans to allocate up to 9,000 bighas to corporate entities, a claim under investigation by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes. “This is a betrayal of the tribal people and the land they’ve protected for generations,” said Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi.

As the Gauhati High Court prepares for its next hearing, the case has become a rallying cry for environmentalists and indigenous rights advocates across India. Dima Hasao stands at a crossroads, where the promise of development threatens to dance nakedly on the grave of its natural and cultural legacy.

 “If we lose our rivers, our forests, our way of life, what is left of Dima Hasao?” asked a local woman.

The court’s intervention may be the last hope to preserve the district’s flora, fauna, air, and water and the tribal communities who call it home. With the world watching, the battle for Dima Hasao is not just about land; it’s a fight for the soul of a region teetering on the brink of irreversible loss.