The Udalguri district in Assam, situated along the Indo-Bhutan border, harbours a diverse ecosystem and abundant natural resources. However, this area has been exploited by unscrupulous individuals, including contractors, black market traders, and certain entrusted officials. Over the last few years, stone quarries and crushers have reportedly damaged the rivers.
On 5 June 2023, the Border Area Development Youth Organisation submitted a memorandum to Bhupender Yadav, the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, raising concerns about the sand mining activities in the Boko (Chisol) river. The organisation highlighted that the contractor's sand mining activities exceeded agreed-upon GPS coordinates and recommended depth, resulting in depleted water levels and unsuitable water quality for humans and wildlife.
One year later, on 5 June 2024, on World Environment Day, residents from several areas protested against illegal sand and gravel mining from the Boko River in the Lepgaon area. The protest also included tree plantations and drew hundreds of participants, including women and children.
Jonson Sangma, the president of the Border Area Development Youth Organisation, expressed frustration over repeated, ignored appeals to various officials, including the SDC, Ranger, DC, DFO, and the Forest Minister, to halt the mining activities. "The sand gravel mining started on 25 January 2023, and since then, the river water has become unusable and polluted. People can no longer use the water for bathing or other purposes, and even cattle refuse to drink it," Sangma stated.
The Singra Forest Range Office's Range Officer, Bhargabh Hazarika, assured that he would investigate the matter thoroughly and take necessary action.
During the 1990s, a distressing surge of deforestation occurred in the Dhansiri Forest Division (formerly Darrang district), leading to the depletion of valuable trees from the Khalingduar Reserved Forest and Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary. This exploitation, allegedly sanctioned by the government and involving former insurgents, extended to the district's rivers, where sand and rocks became prime targets. Over the last few decades, contractors and traders, often colluding with forest officials and public representatives, have engaged in legal and illegal extraction of minerals from the northern rivers using excavators and dredgers.
Reports indicate excessive extraction, primarily for external projects, being transported in hundreds trucks, often lacking proper documentation, prompting local authorities in Tangla town to restrict their movement during peak hours. Besides riverbeds, the unauthorised establishment and operation of stone crushers near the India-Bhutan border pose grave environmental risks, flaunting regulations and neglecting pollution control measures. These crushers encroach on agricultural land, causing significant noise and air pollution and posing a severe environmental threat. Despite the revenue generated from these activities, the alleged inaction of the Forest Department has garnered considerable criticism.
Residents have been demanding a thorough investigation into the role of the Dhansiri Forest Division, advocating for the removal of potentially corrupt officials and the cessation of illegal sand mining and environmentally damaging crushers.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Opposition against environmental degradation
Demand to cancel the project
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand to end sand/gravel mining
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common and Private
Forest and Non-Forest
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Water bodies, Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence, Agricultural land
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Violation of environmental laws
Non-consultation with stakeholders
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Pending
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Gauhati High Court
Case Number
WP(C) 3092/2020, Cont.Cas(C)/72/2022, PIL/70/2021,
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
No
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Assam
Kumar Sambhav is a social entrepreneur and award-winning journalist, leading innovative research in accountability investigations. He is the founder of Land Conflict Watch and is currently working as India Research Lead with Princeton University’s Digital Witness Lab.
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