The Gauhati High Court recently questioned the allotment of 3,000 bighas, or about 4 sq km, of land in Assam’s Dima Hasao district to a private company to set up a cement factory, directing the state government to furnish the policy under which “such a huge chunk of land” could be given away.

“3000 bighas allotted to a private company?” Live Law quoted Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi as verbally saying on August 12. “We know how barren the land is…? What kind of decision is this? Is this some kind of joke or what? Your [company’s] need is not the issue…the public interest is the issue.”

The case pertained to the allocation of a plot of land measuring 2,000 bighas in the district to Mahabal Cement Private Limited in October 2024, The Indian Express reported. In November, the private company was allotted an additional adjacent plot measuring 1,000 bighas.

Dima Hasao is a tribal-majority hill district in Assam. It is administered under the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution through an autonomous body, the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council.

The Sixth Schedule governs the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

The order allotting the land to the cement factory in October 2024 was issued by the additional secretary (revenue) of the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council. It stated that the purpose of the allocation was to set up a cement plant, the newspaper reported.

Last week, two petitions were heard in the court about this allotment.

One of the petitions was filed by a group of locals who alleged that they were being evicted from their land to build the cement factory, The Indian Express reported.

The initial petition had been filed earlier this year by Mahabal Cement Private Limited, which sought protection from “disturbances created by local villagers” in construction work.

In its order on August 12, the court said that “a cursory glance into the facts of the case would reveal that the land which has been sought to be allotted is about 3,000 bighas, which itself appears to be extraordinary”.

It directed the state government to obtain the records containing the policy to “allot such a huge chunk of land measuring 3,000 bighas” to a factory.

It further noted that the area involved was Umrangso in the district, which was known to be “an environment hotspot containing hot spring, stop over for migratory birds, wildlife, etc.”

The court then listed the matter for further hearing on September 1.

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