Letters to the Editor: Eviction Drive in Tea Garden

Eviction drive in tea garden

It is deeply unfortunate that the house of a tea garden labourer at Baahoni Tea Estate in Mariani was demolished using a bulldozer, on the grounds that he lacked legal ownership documents or a land patta. What makes this even more distressing is the fact that hardly any tea garden labourers—despite having lived in Assam since the mid-1800s—possess land pattas. Over the years, Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), Members of Parliament (MPs), and ministers from the tea tribe community have rarely taken meaningful steps to address this issue. Their failure to raise the demand for land rights either in the state assembly or in parliament is both disappointing and telling.

In this particular case, the victim was reportedly not given any official notice prior to the eviction, leaving him and his family utterly helpless after losing their only shelter. This incident reflects a larger systemic neglect faced by tea tribe communities who have long been an inseparable part of Assamese society—socially, culturally, and economically. It is high time the government took sincere and proactive measures to allot land pattas to tea tribe families, recognising their historical presence and invaluable contributions to the state. Their rightful claim to land must no longer be ignored.

Dipen Gogoi,

Teok, Jorhat

Beware of dogs

Through your widely circulated daily paper, I want to bring your kind attention to an issue faced by most people across the globe as well as in nooks and corners of the state. Many stray dogs are freely roaming in the area of Hengrabari, near Dispur in Guwahati city. Not in that area alone; in most of the areas of the city, we have seen that the large number of homeless and ownerless dogs create terror among pedestrians & bikers. Sometimes, it is seen that the stray dogs are very aggressive and come forward to attack people. Another angle to the problem is that the locals feed these stray dogs, but they don't provide shelter to them. It is a concern of public safety and a prime responsibility of the civic bodies. It also has been noticed that in the early morning when people go for a morning walk through the roads or by-lanes, groups of stray dogs attack the people. Having a dog is fine, but the rapid growth of the population of stray dogs is a sign of danger to society, women, and children. So, to the concerned authority of GMC and other related NGOs who are working in this field, I want to bring your kind attention to this problem and ask you to look at the matter as a serious public safety concern and to provide a solution.

Moreover, government organisations and other forums are requested to notify the locations and inform the public where stray dogs have become a safety concern.

Kabyajyoti Das

Hengrabari, Guwahati

China’s mega dam on the Brahmaputra

China’s decision to begin construction of a massive hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo—just 50 km from the Arunachal border—demands serious attention. On July 19, 2025, Beijing launched this project in Nyingchi, near the Great Bend where the river curves into India as the Brahmaputra. Planned with a capacity of 60,000 MW and an estimated cost of over 1.2 trillion yuan (USD 167.8 billion), this is being termed the world’s largest dam.

Though presented as a renewable energy initiative, the project has deeper strategic and ecological implications. The dam’s location in a highly seismic and landslide-prone zone raises concerns over potential disasters from landslip-triggered floods or sudden water discharge.

Moreover, this development comes amid an absence of a water-sharing treaty between India and China. China, not being a signatory to the UN Convention on Transboundary Watercourses, is not bound to share river data. In the past, it has even delayed or withheld critical hydrological information, especially during times of heightened border tensions. For Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, the Brahmaputra is not just a river but a lifeline. Disruption in its natural flow could severely affect agriculture, ecology, and livelihoods downstream.

India must engage diplomatically to ensure transparent data sharing, seek early warning mechanisms, and push for a bilateral river governance framework. We cannot afford to be caught unprepared while a water bomb is being assembled just across the border.

Chandan Goswami

Kumaranichiga, Dibrugarh

Harvesting Time?

With the advent of the election in BTR, the political temperature there is soaring day by day. It is for the first time that all political parties, regional or national, are taking part in this election. The political parties naturally are flexing their muscles to woo the voters at any cost. In this process they are regularly holding big public rallies addressed by their top leaders, where thousands of new recruits are seen joining the party with much fanfare and publicity. But very amusingly, it is sometimes seen that the same group of people attending such rallies in a single day are also seen attending another rally of another political party and taking part in the joining-in ceremony on the same day. These people are professionals and can be contacted through their agents. It is the harvesting season for them, and they are making hay while the sun shines, as 5 years is too long for them to wait.

Lanu Dutt Chowdhury

Guwahati

Bird hit menace

The tragic Ahmedabad plane crash was initially attributed to a bird hit, although different theories are being floated now. However, bird strikes on moving aircraft are not uncommon in India. In 2019, there were 539 reported bird hits, while the number stood at 1,123 by the end of 2023. According to a report, more than 4,000 aircraft were affected by bird hits across 80 airports in India in the last 5 years. Structural damage, loss of control, and, at the worst, engine failures are the consequences. Rules are unambiguous: A 10 km radius around the airport should be clear of garbage that contains food waste and animal slaughterhouses. In short, no bird should venture into the area in search of food, water, and cover.

However, plenty of funnel zones of airports—areas where flights take off and land—bear the risk of being hit by birds due to the callous approach of the authorities, thereby endangering hundreds of lives. It's time Indian airports identify the feeding and roosting sites for birds around the airport. Also, effective technological signals to point out the presence of birds along the aircraft's takeoff or landing path can be very useful. Subsequently, scaring away the birds, either through technology or through manual methods, has to be carried out. Additionally, bird-repelling sounds, scarecrows, and bird netting should be more commonly employed to shoo the birds away.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)