Gauhati HC Grills Govt Over 3,000 Bighas Tribal Land Allotment to Cement Firm

The Gauhati High Court on Monday pulled up the Assam government over the controversial allotment of 3,000 bighas (752 hectares) of tribal land to Mahabal Cement Pvt. Ltd in Dima Hasao district, questioning both the legality and the environmental implications of the move.

The case, arising from a petition filed by residents of Nobdi Longkukro and Choto Larpheng villages, was heard by Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi, who pressed the government and the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) to explain under what policy such a massive chunk of Sixth Schedule land could be handed over to a private company.

“Umrangso is an ecological hotspot with hot springs, migratory bird routes, and rich wildlife. For a cement factory, where is the environmental clearance from the Government of India? How do you carve out Sixth Schedule land to establish an industry of this size?” Justice Medhi asked in court. “We are not against industry, but we are curious—how has an area of 3,000 bighas been given to a private company? Show us the records. If everything is proper, we have nothing to say. But we will go strictly by the book.”

The state government, represented by Advocate General Devajit Saikia, contended that the land had not been “given away” but rather “purchased” by the company. “Per bigha, ₹2 lakh was taken by the council. The land was not allotted freely, that is a wrong statement—it was bought,” Saikia told the court.

But villagers belonging to the Dimasa and Karbi tribes argue otherwise. They say the land—collectively owned under customary laws and cultivated by them for generations—cannot be sold in the first place under the Sixth Schedule, which specifically prohibits outright purchase of tribal land by private companies. The petitioners alleged that officials of the NCHAC’s revenue department and the office of the Additional Secretary had exerted pressure on them to accept compensation and vacate their ancestral land ahead of the allotments.

Records show Mahabal Cement received two tracts—2,000 bighas on October 14, 2024, and another 1,000 bighas on November 12, 2024—through a tendering process to execute a mining lease and set up a factory.

The High Court, in an earlier order on August 12, 2025, had already flagged that the scale of the allotment “appears to be extraordinary.” Monday’s hearing deepened those concerns, with Justice Medhi directing the NCHAC to produce all records and policy documents justifying the transfer.

For the roughly 400 families in Nobdi Longkukro and Choto Larpheng, the case is existential. The 3,000 bighas are not just land but their livelihood, their food source, and their cultural identity. Displacement, they fear, will fracture their communities beyond repair.

The court has made it clear it will not allow shortcuts. “Industry cannot be built on illegality,” Justice Medhi remarked before adjourning the matter. The state and council have been directed to place all relevant records before the next hearing.

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