Plan envisaged to rehabilitate Laika forest villagers

OUR CORRESPONDENT

TINSUKIA: Following directives from the Government of Assam, the Tinsukia district administration has envisaged a holistic project to rehabilitate Laika forest villagers of Dibru-Saikhowa National Park at degraded forests (RFs) of Paharpur and Namphai under Digboi Forest Division of Margherita Revenue Circle in a planned manner to solve permanently the three-decade old stalemate over relocation issue even as Takam Mising Porin Kebang (TMPK) and other ethnic bodies have opposed the proposal.

These comprehensive plans were formulated after it was decided in a stakeholders' meeting convened by the Chief Minister that outlined forest villagers of Laika would be relocated and rehabilitated in degraded reserve forest of Tinsukia district while the villagers of Dodhia would be rehabilitated in Lakhimpur district. At district-level, all line departments concerned like Forest, Revenue, APDCL, Zila Parishad, Agriculture, Veterinary and PHE have been put into service to execute the respective roadmaps.

According to official sources, 543 households of Laika comprise a population of 2,843 who would be rehabilitated in two clusters. While 379 families will be settled in 166 hectares comprising of 1,240 bighas of land at Paharpur degraded RF part, of which around 50 bighas are presently under illegal tea plantation, the remaining 164 families will be relocated at degraded Namphai RF in 72 hectares (532 bigha) of land. The estimation of number of households was done by the forest department after thorough cross checking of direct descendents of 75 families on the basis of jamanbandi 1978, to whom the land was actually allotted, which the source claimed to be legitimate and entitled for relocation.

Sources further informed that the APDCL would provide power supply at the cost of Rs 1.36 crore for Paharpur and Rs 13.069 lakh for Namphai while Tinsukia Zilla Parishad has earmarked Rs 13 crore for road connectivity in both the areas. The seeds, particularly of maize, for this season, will be distributed by the Agricultural department to assist rephrase for cattle population. The PHE has made an extensive roadmap to provide drinking water facility and individual household latrine at an estimated cost of Rs 194.24 lakh and Rs 297.3 lakh for Namphai and Paharpur respectively. In addition to all these infrastructural development, the veterinary department will support piggery and poultry farming supplemented by financial backup by converging with NRLM/ASRLM/ MGNREGA/ Bank finance-PMKCC, the source revealed.

Meanwhile, an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh each was provided from CM's Relief Fund to family members of two deceased women of Laika Dodhia- Reboti Paw and Kushmita Morang-while Tinsukia district administration had supplied relief and food stuff at regular intervals to the camp inmates of Lezaiholla, besides engaging medical staff and magistrate to oversee the camp requirement.

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