Rehabilitation hits roadblock

DIMORIA, Dec 2: Can what’s done be undone at ease? Dispur is faced with such a question on the rehabilitation of some 200 indigenous families who have been evicted by it from Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary.

The State administration wants to rehabilitate the indigenous erosion-affected people who have been evicted from Amchang. However, Dispur has already hit a roadblock in the form of the people of Dimoria in its rehabilitation plan. Various tribal organizations and students’ union are up in arms against the State Government’s move to rehabilitate some 200 of the evicted families at Tegheria at Sopur. “State Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma has made an announcement that 200 of the families evicted from Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary will be rehabilitated at Tegeri at Sopur. We oppose the move vehemently as there are indigenous tribal people residing at Tegeria for ages. Dispur’s move to rehabilitate the evicted families at Tegheria there will only foment fratricidal killings in the area. We demand Dispur to do away with its plan to rehabilitate any of the evicted families at Tegheria,” one of the leaders of the organizations said, asnd added: “The eviction drive carried out without making any prior arrangements for rehabilitation smacks of short-sightedness and inhuman attitude of the government.”

They organizations further said ‘if the government has the guts it should free lands encroached upon by general category people in tribal belts and blocks in the Dimoria area and rehabilitate the evicted people there. The press meet at Tribal Sangha office at Dimoria was briefed by leaders of Dimoria Zila Tribal Sangha, Karbi Chatra Sanstha, ATSU, Dimoria Anchalik Chatra Sanstha and ATTSA.