Guwahati: Civil society organisations from Karbi Anglong staged a protest in Guwahati’s Chachal area on Friday against a proposed solar power project and a compressed biogas (CBG) plant in their district. Protestors alleged that both projects threaten prime agricultural and forest lands traditionally owned by tribal communities, and are being pushed through without proper consent. The solar project is reportedly backed by funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), reported local media The Assam Tribune.
The protests were organised under the banners of the ‘Karbi Anglong Solar Power Project Affected People’s Rights Committee’ and the ‘Joint Land Struggles Committee, Assam’. Demonstrators warned that these mega projects could lead to large-scale deforestation, destruction of farmland, and the displacement of thousands of indigenous residents.
Carrying placards reading “No CBG Projects”, “Our Forests Are Not for Sale”, and “Solar Power Project = Tribal Exploitation”, protestors raised slogans like “Inquilaab Zindabad” as they demanded that the government revoke the land allocations. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was submitted to the Chief Minister, demanding the immediate cancellation of the 18,000 bighas allotted for the solar project, which they said would displace 24 villages and impact more than 20,000 people. They also called for scrapping the 50,000 bighas earmarked for the CBG plant, calling it an “environmentally genocidal plan.”
Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan criticised the government’s handling of the issue, saying, “The government should have been in Karbi Anglong to hear the people’s grievances, but instead, they sit in Guwahati, ignoring their concerns.” He alleged that ties between the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of Karbi Anglong and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had sidelined the interests of local people.
“Today, handing over vast areas of land to private industrialists has become common, while protestors’ voices are suppressed by police intimidation,” Bhuyan added, calling for a stronger protest movement across Assam.
Subrata Talukdar, convenor of the Joint Land Struggles Committee, warned that indigenous land was being handed over in the name of development. “This is not just happening in Karbi Anglong. It has happened in Rabha Hasong, BTAD, Palashbari, Mikir areas, and even near Kaziranga,” Talukdar said, demanding secure land titles (pattas) for indigenous communities.
Pranab Doley, advisor to the Karbi Anglong Solar Power Project Affected People’s Rights Committee, said that protests had been ongoing for over a year. He alleged that the government had used threats and bribes to silence opposition and accused officials of misreporting facts to the ADB.
“The government falsely claimed that only 1,200 people would be affected when the real number is more than 20,000. It secured a Rs 7,000 crore loan based on misleading information,” Doley said.
He warned that the project would not only uproot indigenous people but also severely damage the region’s environment and wildlife.
“We urge the Asian Development Bank to withdraw its funding immediately and follow the United Nations principles protecting indigenous peoples’ rights,” Doley said.
