Assam LoP urges World Bank, ADB to suspend funding for development projects in Assam.

In a formal communication addressed to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, Debabrata Saikia, Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, has called for an immediate independent audit and suspension of funding to development projects in Assam that are violating constitutional protections of indigenous land rights, key Supreme Court rulings, and environmental legislation. The letter highlights two projects currently underway in Assam, including the Borduar Bagan Village in Kamrup District.

The Assam state government plans to transfer 1500 acres of land to the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) for a proposed township project. The allocated land has been inhabited by Rabha, Boro, Tea, and other indigenous communities for over a century. This transfer violates the Assam (Temporarily Settled Areas) Tenancy Act, 1971, and has been launched without the consent of the local indigenous population. This raises questions about the government’s commitment to the indigenous communities and the environment.

The second project includes the Parbatjhora in Kokrajhar District, where the BTR government has allocated 3600 bighas of tribal land to the Adani Group for a thermal power plant. This allocation has been made without consulting the Boro, Rabha, and Garo communities who reside in the area.

Saikia have alleged that this is a direct violation of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The proposed project also threatens to destroy over 500,000 Saal and teak trees, intensifying fears over environmental degradation.

Citing landmark judgments such as Samatha vs. State of Andhra Pradesh (1997) and Orissa Mining Corporation vs. Ministry of Environment and Forests (2013), as well as the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, Saikia emphasised the legal precedent requiring prior informed consent from tribal communities before any land acquisition.

The Leader of the Opposition appealed to the financial institutions to immediately review and suspend any funding until full legal compliance is established. He also wanted the financial institutions to commission an independent audit of the acquisition processes and environmental impacts and take corrective measures to protect indigenous rights and the environment. “These land acquisitions are clear violations of constitutional protections and a direct assault on the dignity and rights of Assam’s indigenous communities. Institutions like the World Bank and ADB must ask: Are they funding progress, or are they financing the destruction of indigenous lives and ecosystems? The people of Assam look to institutions like the World Bank and ADB not just for economic investment, but for leadership in ethical governance“, Saikia said in his letter.

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