Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday indicated that two major infrastructure projects near Guwahati may be scrapped due to strong opposition from local communities. The projects in question — a 55-megawatt hydroelectric plant on the Kulsi River and a proposed satellite township at Barduar — have triggered protests from indigenous groups concerned about displacement and the erosion of their traditional way of life.
The Kulsi hydel project, planned jointly with Meghalaya, would require dam construction in the river's upper reaches and could displace around 10 villages. The Barduar township, envisioned over approximately 1,500 acres in Kamrup district around a colonial-era tea estate, would transform a predominantly tribal region into a suburban extension of Guwahati.
“There are some people who love protesting,” Sarma remarked at the sidelines of an event. “Both Chief Minister Conrad Sangma (of Meghalaya) and I want to build the dam for public benefit — for irrigation. But instead of simply expressing their concerns, there are speeches, protests, and the rise of new leaders. This has hurt Assam.”
Sarma stressed that the government would not proceed with either project without the consent of local communities. On the Barduar township, he said, “We’ve already told the assembly that if the people are against it, we won’t build it. Yet, protests continue. What more can we do? I can’t stop people from agitating.”
Tribal groups, including the All Rabha Students’ Union, have demanded legal land documents for long-settled families in Barduar, fearing eviction if the township moves ahead. They argue that the development plan threatens their ongoing demand for inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which would grant greater autonomy to Rabha-inhabited areas.
