People threaten to boycott the Election

The North Cachar Hills (Now Dima Hasao) BG Railway Line Compensation Demand Committee has threatened to boycott the forthcoming Assembly Election 2011 if the Railway authority fails to pay the compensations to the 245 affected families due to BG conversion of Dautuhaja area of Dima Hasao district.

The Dima Hasao District (erstwhile N.C. Hills) was the part of Cachar District to the North which came into existence well before the Indian Independence. During the British era its total geographical area was recorded 4898 sq. km with total population about 1, 20,000 or more in the then united Mikir Hills and N.C. Hills amalgamated district of which the former is presently nomenclature as Karbi Anglong and the later now known as Dima Hasao. Then both the regions were under the single administration unit and control. After the attainment of Independence, these both sections were subsequently being provided the provisions for creation of Autonomous District Council and were separated under the name of Karbi Anglong District and N. C. Hills District. With the fulfillment of all the requirements and standards the Government of India and Assam under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India accordingly within the limitation of geographical boundaries entitle and entrust all the land as own by the hills tribal people as per the deals to the Land and Revenue Department under the Administrative control of the Autonomous Council of N. C. Hills and Karbi Anglong respectively.

Owing to self governance and lack of higher initiatives the district is dragging behind in heap and bound in compare to its neighboring districts. The Dimasa people which being the major tribe and inhabitants of the districts with all and almost all of the Villages being established 120 years ago are mostly dependent on dry agricultural productivities and wet paddy land. Jhum Cultivation being the part and parcel of the entire populace of the district irrespective of caste and creed is the only source of economic; dependence.

The affected villagers in the ongoing B.C. Line conversion in the district are very poor and are all dependent in forest products, valuable trees and bamboos etc. which serve as the only source of income for us. Depriving them of such possessions is an unthinkable and unfathomable step that is also without any proper recompense of at all and in any form or kind.

The Autonomous Council was constituted under the provision of the Sixth Schedule and Article 244 of the constitution to safeguard, protect and for the upliftment of the downtrodden tribal people living in this district of N.C. Hills (now Dima Hasao) and accordingly the District Council had formulated Customary Law and other Civil Law from time to time. In this regard it is to be mentioned here that the District Council has set up a Revenue & Settlement Department to regularize the land under the jurisdiction of the N.C. Hills Autonomous Council. Accordingly the Revenue & Settlement Department after proper verification under provision of the Constitution of the District Council thereby issued Pattas to the villagers as a proof of ownership of land and realized land revenue taxes annually. Further, according to the Constitution of the District Council formed under the provision of the Sixth Schedule and the Customary Laws of the Land, any persons who occupies a land and construct houses and formed village or residing in that particular land for more than 1 (one) year cannot be dispossessed from that particular land without giving a proper compensation. In this regard a Resolution was adopted in the ALL INDIA REVENUE MINISTER CONFERENCE held on Dated 15-03-204 at New Delhi, wherein it was stated in the Resolution No. 4 that no any person residing in the tribal area for more than 1 (one) year should be evicted from the possession of the land belonging to the State Government or Central Government without giving proper compensation and rehabilitation.