Assam: Indigenous Students' Forum demands compensations to affected villagers by NHAI, warns construction company

David Keivom, the President of the Indigenous Students' Forum (ISF) has warned the construction company of the East-West Corridor in the Dima Hasao district to leave Dima Hasao within three days.     

The Indigenous Students' Forum has issued a warning to the Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infra Private Limited Company of Gujarat engaged in the construction of the four-lane national highway on the Silchar-Saurashtra East-West Corridor from Dima Hasao district within three days. 

It is to be mentioned here that the company has been entrusted with the construction of a 49 km four-lane national highway from Nirimbanglo to Harengajao in the Dima Hasao district of the Silchar-Saurashtra East-West Corridor for the construction of the four-lane national highway. 

Also Read: Assam: Indigenous Students' Forum Threatens Indefinite Railway Blockade in Dima Hasao

However, on July 6, the national highway number 27 has been blocked by the people demanding compensation to all the affected villagers of 27 villages from Nirimbanglo to the Harengajao stretch.

Alleging that the construction company has not paid so much attention to their demand, David Kevom, president of the Indigenous Students' Forum, told the media that in January 2023, Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) authority to pay immediate compensation to the residents of these affected villages. 

Further, a joint meeting was held at the office of the District Administration National Highways Authority Construction Agency and Indigenous Students Forum at the office of the District Collector in February and in this meeting, all the bills related to the land of the affected village residents were given by the Land and Revenue Department of the North Cachar Hill Autonomous Council. 

And the decision to repair the blacktopping and road along the 49-km stretch from Nirimbangla to Harengajao was also taken and there was a demand to give work to the 27 villages in this part who have been struggling to construct this four-lane road to which the National Highways Authority and the construction agency agreed. 

But even after this, the construction company has not taken any action. 

David Keivom also alleged that in the last 6 months, the work of blacktopping the Harengjao section from Nirimbanglo has not been completed.