Gauhati High Court Raps Government for Allotting Bighas of Land to Cement Company

The Gauhati High Court expressed shock over the Assam government’s allotment of 3,000 bighas of tribal land in Dima Hasao to Mahabal Cement Pvt. Ltd. for a factory. Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi questioned the rationale of granting land in a Sixth Schedule area without clarity on environmental clearances, stressing that tribal rights outweigh corporate interests. The land, in the ecologically sensitive Umrangso region, was allotted in two phases in 2024. A petition by 22 locals alleged forced evictions. Political backlash followed, with Congress accusing the BJP of crony capitalism. The court sought policy records and fixed the next hearing for September 1.