Debabrata Saikia urges WB and ADB not to fund Assam projects on tribal land

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: In a formal communication addressed to the World Bank (WB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Debabrata Saikia, Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, has called for an immediate independent audit and suspension of funding to development projects in Assam that are violating constitutional protections of indigenous land rights, key Supreme Court rulings, and environmental legislation.

The letter from Saikia highlights two projects currently underway at Borduar Bagan Village in the Kamrup District and Parbatjhora in the Kokrajhar District. The state government plans to transfer 1,500 acres of land to the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) for a proposed township project. The allocated land has been inhabited by Rabha, Boro, Tea, and other indigenous communities for over a century. This transfer violates the Assam (Temporarily Settled Areas) Tenancy Act, 1971, and has been launched without the consent of the local indigenous population, he said. At Parbatjhora, the BTR government has allocated 3,600 bighas of tribal land to the Adani Group for a thermal power plant. “This allocation has been made without consulting the Boro, Rabha, and Garo communities who reside in the area. This is a direct violation of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The proposed project also threatens to destroy over 500,000 saal and teak trees, intensifying fears over environmental degradation,” the letter said.

In his appeal, Saikia urged the financial institutions to (i) immediately review and suspend any funding until full legal compliance is established, (ii) commission an independent audit of the acquisition processes and environmental impacts, (iii) mandate meaningful community consultations, and (iv) take corrective measures to protect indigenous rights and the environment.

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