"Is This A Joke": 3,000 Bighas Of Land For Cement Firm Outrages High Court

A video of a court proceeding of Gauhati High Court that was live streamed, has gone viral on social media where the court is heard raising concern over the allotment of nearly 3,000 bighas of land in Assam's Dima Hasao district to a cement company for mining of limestone.

In the video, Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi expressed astonishment at the scale of the land grant.

"3,000 bighas! The entire district? What is going on? 3,000 bighas allotted to a private company? We know how barren the land is... 3,000 bighas? What kind of decision is this? Is this some kind of joke or what? Your need is not the issue, public interest is the issue," he is heard saying.

The court's observations came in response to submissions regarding the company's operations in the hill district. 

Counsel representing the cement firm argued that the land allotted was barren and required for the functioning of the plant.

A Congress delegation, led by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee chief Bhupen Kumar Borah and Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, meanwhile met the Governor to express the grievances of local communities from Borolokhindong, Tharvelangso, and surrounding villages regarding the proposed mining project.

According to their memorandum, the state government's decision to allocate land in Dima Hasao for mining is being done to favour a corporate entity allegedly linked to the ruling BJP, without considering the welfare and sentiments of the indigenous people.

"The Chief Minister of Assam is making moves to allocate approximately 9,000 bighas of land in the Dima Hasao district to benefit a corporate group with close ties to the BJP. The state government is disregarding the concerns and sentiments of the indigenous communities in Dima Hasao. This issue is a matter of survival and safeguarding the land and rights of the district's local people," the memorandum read.