Amid a drive to reclaim government land from encroachers, a bid by a district administration to acquire 150 bighas or 49.5 acres of grazing land adjoining a fragile wetland for a logistics park has made people of 21 villages near Guwahati see red.
More than 3,000 families of these villages around the Dorabeel grazing field have sniffed mischief in a revised notification by the Kamrup district administration inviting objections to a proposal to acquire 150 bighas of the grazing field for a Singapore Logistics Park to be set up by a Kolkata-based firm.
The office of the Kamrup District Commissioner issued a notification on April 7 regarding the Dorabeel land acquisition, instructing the stakeholders to submit their objections, if any, by May 7.
“Based on these objections, public hearings were held at the District Commissioner’s office from May 21 to 23. Unfortunately, without providing any public response to the hearings, the authorities issued a second notification seeking objections from the people,” Dipankar Thakuria, one of the members of the Dorabeel Village Grazing Field Protection Convening Committee, said on Thursday (September 11, 2025).
According to the committee’s Ashwini Majumdar and Kanak Chandra Das, the fresh notification on September 1 was a tweaked version of the first notification five months ago. They stated that the new notification consolidated the previously proposed two plots into a single plot of 150 bighas for the construction of the logistics park.
Members of the committee said that the revised notification has generated deep dissatisfaction among the local people, who denounced the government for treating their efforts to preserve the wetland as a mere mockery.
Unwavering stand
“Issuing a new notification with only minor changes after ignoring public objections is conspiratorial, undemocratic, and unconstitutional. We remain steadfast in our earlier stand: under no circumstances will we allow any kind of construction in the Dorabeel grazing field or within its wetland ecosystem,” Mr Thakuria said.
Committee member Prasanna Kalita said that the villagers associated with Dorabeel submitted scientific data along with their objections to justify their opposition to the logistics park project. Apart from the district administration, the objections were submitted to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, State and Central Pollution Control Boards, and the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary of Assam.
Pressure from industries
The Dorabeel grazing field in Kamrup district’s Palashbari Revenue Circle straddles two villages – Rampur No. 1 and Rampur No. 2. The beel (a lake-like wetland) and the grazing land around are crucial for the livelihood of the people in the surrounding villages.
“During the monsoon, the grazing land merges with the Dorabeel, supporting fish production that sustains some 2,000 families from 10 villages. This project will disrupt their livelihoods,” the committee’s Md Nizamuddin Ahmed said.
The committee’s Abinash Kalita said some 500 families from 12 villages rely on the superior soil of this land for pottery. “The construction of the park will destroy their means of sustenance while some 1,000 families engaged in farming on the surrounding fertile land will lose their source of earning,” he said.
The committee members said the existing industries close to Dorabeel have already polluted the soil, water, and air. Further construction will exacerbate environmental degradation and adversely impact public health.
Rich biodiversity
The committee’s Prosenjit Kalita said the logistics park would threaten the biodiversity of Dorabeel, particularly endangering the Gangetic dolphin (a national aquatic animal) and its breeding grounds in the Kulsi River nearby. “During the monsoon, the grazing land absorbs floodwater from Dorabeel. Reducing its area by 150 bighas will cause flooding in nearby villages, leading to potential disasters,” he said.
He further said the grazing land and Dorabeel are home to more than 200 species of resident and migratory birds. “Damage to this area will disrupt ecological balance, negatively impacting agriculture, tourism, and socio-economic aspects,” he said.
A study by the committee also showed that Dorabeel supports 74 fish species, 26 ornamental plants, seven edible or medicinal plants, six plants used as fertiliser, and three plants used for household goods. The communities relying on these resources will be directly harmed, it said in its report.
The villagers stated it was ironic that the Assam government was trying to divert a community grazing field for an ecology-threatening logistics park after carrying out a series of operations to evict encroachers from government lands, including notified grazing lands.
More than 50,000 people, mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims often branded as Bangladeshis, have been evicted in the drive against encroachers since June. The stakeholders of Dorabeel, the latest flashpoint, are indigenous Assamese people.
Published – September 12, 2025 10:58 am IST