Assam: Government school in Margherita falls prey to land grabbing by coal trader, raises concern

A land dispute has erupted at Powai MV School in Margherita, Assam, as one outsider, identified as coal trader Daruga Rai, claims ownership of the school's land.

According to Sunil Uraon, the president of the School Management and Development Committee (SMDC) of Powai MV School Margherita, the school recently received a fund of Rs 15 Lakhs from the District Mineral Fund under the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) for construction purposes. However, Daruga Rai, a coal trader from Margherita and a resident, has been obstructing construction efforts, insisting that the land belongs to him.

"This school was established in the year 1964 and the land issue related to this school is a long-standing issue. But after resolving the prolonged issue the Assam government has started building the boundary wall for this school. But a person named Daruga Rai has troubled the construction process which is why the work is on pause for months", said a member of the All Adivasi Students' Association Of Assam.

The situation escalated on Monday when a group of residents, members of the All Adivasi Student Association of Assam (AASAA), and the SMDC initiated construction work on the boundary wall. Attempts to contact Daruga Rai for comment were unsuccessful as he was unavailable.

A resident said, "We want to warn Daruga Rai that you shouldn't keep your evil eye on the property of this school or else you face consequences in the upcoming days".