Amidst Ongoing Parbatjhora Protests, BTR Chief Highlights Land Settlement

Protests continue to gain momentum in the Parbatjhora region of Assam's Kokrajhar district, where locals have raised strong objections to the government's decision to allocate 3,000 bighas of land to the Adani Group for the construction of a thermal power plant.

The tension first erupted after reports confirmed that both the Assam Government and the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) Government had approved the land transfer to the industrial conglomerate. The people of Parbatjhora responded swiftly and assertively, organising sustained and intense demonstrations demanding the cancellation of the project within BTR territory.

The protestors voiced their gratitude to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his recent statement, where he acknowledged public sentiment and said that the thermal power project could be shifted to Dhubri or Goalpara if the people of BTR did not support it. While they welcomed the Chief Minister’s remarks, the demonstrators insisted that the assurance must be formalised. Until a written directive is issued from the government’s office, they vowed to continue their protest.

Protestors have also urged the Chief Minister to expedite the process of relocating the project out of BTR, emphasising that only an official and permanent cancellation would bring peace to the region.

In parallel to the ongoing protests, BTR Chief Pramod Boro highlighted that the land settlement initiatives being undertaken by the regional government aim to address long-standing land-related conflicts and grievances.

On Monday night, Boro convened a crucial meeting with 26 ethnic groups of Bodoland at the BTC Secretariat Hall in Bodofa town. Following the meeting, he outlined the government’s major steps under the Mission Bwiswmuthi, Bwiswmuthi 1.0 and Bwiswmuthi 2.0, aimed at resolving the region’s complex land issues.

“Through Bwiswmuthi 1.0, 1,90,000 families had applied for land rights online, and land issues of 1,70,000 families have already been resolved,” Boro stated. In total, the land problems of 3,23,000 families have been addressed so far by the BTR administration.

Under the newly launched Bwiswmuthi 2.0, the government aims to provide land settlement to 47,000 landless families in the first phase. Meetings will be held across different administrative circles in July to address unresolved cases.

The BTR government is working toward ensuring peace, transparency, and fairness in land distribution, thereby removing the grounds for conflict and political manipulation. Various student and national organisations in the region have expressed their support and appreciation for these initiatives, viewing them as a much-needed intervention.

As Parbatjhora remains on edge, both state and regional governments face increasing pressure to respect local voices while balancing the demands of industrial development and social equity.

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