Kamrup villagers oppose govt plan to build logistics park in Dorabeel | Guwahati News - The Times of India

Guwahati: Amid concerns over govt's development plans, particularly in areas where indigenous tribes and communities reside, villagers of Rampur and its neighbouring areas in Kamrup district, on the outskirts of Guwahati, on Thursday said the state is close to finalising a plan to build a logistics park on 150 bighas of the Dorabeel grazing field.This field is considered by the villagers to be part of the biodiversity-rich Dorabeel wetland near Guwahati.Villagers continue to protest, fearing that the Dorabeel wetland will be impacted despite some areas being spared. The Dorabeel Grazing Field Protection Committee on Thursday submitted a memorandum to the Kamrup DC office, reiterating its firm stance against any construction in the Dorabeel grazing field or its wetland ecosystem.Rampur is a village with a long history, inhabited by indigenous communities, located about 60 kilometres west of Guwahati. Although district officials previously said the logistics park will not be built on the wetland itself, locals and conservationists argue that the lack of a clear natural boundary means the park could still harm the area's biodiversity.On Apr 7, the Kamrup district administration issued a notice indicating plans to de-reserve 150 bighas of village grazing reserve (VGR) land in the Rampur No. 1 and No. 2 villages. Public was given a month to voice their concerns. Many villagers attended hearings in May, uncertain if their objections would halt the project. However, on Sept 1, a new notice from the DC's office suggested that the project would proceed, albeit with some modifications. The notice said, based on feedback from the May hearings and input from relevant departments, the de-reservation proposal was partially altered to maintain the ecological balance of the Dorabeel wetland.Ashwini Majumdar, president of the committee, said, "We express dissatisfaction with the new notice, which consolidates the previously proposed plots into a single 150-bigha plot for the logistics park."Conservation activist Prasanna Kalita warned that the park's construction could threaten the biodiversity of Dorabeel, particularly the Gangetic river dolphin, which breeds in the Kolohi River connected to Dorabeel.While the size of the land remains at 150 bighas, the location has been slightly adjusted. The district administration clarified that the land is intended for the Assam Industrial Development Corporation Ltd to establish the logistics park. A one-month period was given for any written objections to the de-reservation of the VGR land.