A CORRESPONDENT
SILCHAR: Not a single village of Cachar district would be incorporated with Dima Hasao, stated Barak Valley Development Department Minister Kaushik Rai. Reacting to the recent development following the proposed handing over of 19 villages under Lakhipur constituency to the adjacent district in accordance with the tripartite treaty with the UNLA, Rai admitted that there was a demand from the outfit, but it required a series of administrative procedures. “The UNLA placed a charter of demands including the inclusion of Dimasa inhabited villages of neighbouring Cachar, Hojai, and Karbi Anglong with Dima Hasao and a one-man commission was to be formed to facilitate the handing over. Accordingly, the state government constituted a commission headed by Additional Chief Secretary Biswa Ranjan Samal,” Rai explained. He further added that the commission had issued letters to the concerned district administrations.
The Minister said that delegates of various leading Dimasa bodies met the Chief Minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, during his last visit to Silchar and clearly maintained that they were not in favour of slicing out 19 villages from Cachar as in the rest of the district there were considerable number of Dimasa inhabitants who in future might face problems. The Dimasa bodies rather urged the Chief Minister to constitute a satellite autonomous council covering all the Dimasa people staying in the neighbouring districts.
Reports of the handing over of 19 villages of Lakhipur constituency to Dima Hasao following recent administrative movement had created much tension in places like Harinagar, Joypur in Cachar bordering Dima Hasao. Amid this backdrop, an incident of scuffle between two groups of Dimasas and Bengalis during the immersion of Goddess Durga idol on Friday triggered much tension in Harinagar. At least six people were detained by the police. Rai however claimed that this incident had no connection with the proposed handing over of 19 villages.
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