SILCHAR: What is considered as a threat to the much-hyped normalcy in the once-troubled Dima Hasao district of Assam - the ongoing work on the Lumding-Silchar gauge conversion project under Northeast Frontier Railway and the Silchar-Saurastra East-West Corridor under the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in the Barail Hill range - came to a halt for 36 hours in response to a call given by Dima Halam Daoga (DHD), a surrendered militant outfit.
All work on the gauge conversion project from Ditekcherra to Mandardisa across the hill district and the East-West corridor at different points, including Maibang and Jatinga, was stopped from 5am on Tuesday to 5pm on Wednesday, causing a setback in the normal progress of the mega national projects. DHD also called for work to be stopped on ONGC and Neepco projects in the district.
"Work on the projects, including the Lumding-Silchar broad gauge conversion and the East-West Corridor - was stopped during the period. Construction companies complained of huge losses due to the action of the DHD," said a senior official in Haflong on Wednesday. However, the 'programme' of the outfit passed off peacefully. There was no report of any untoward incident from any part of the district, he added.
A spokesman of DHD, which is led by chairman Dilip Nunisa, said they called the agitation programme in protest against the government's lack of initiative in taking forward the ongoing peace talks with DHD over the past decade. "This is the first phase of our 'action'. If the government fails to respond to our demand, we will call for a complete halt of the work on the national projects in the district."
"Our 700 cadres who have been living in five designated camps in Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong district are on the verge of losing patience. We will be compelled to go back to the jungles if the government fails to respond to our demand and create a Dima Raji state," the spokesman said.
DHD surrendered arms on January 1, 2003 and is under a peace agreement with the Centre. The outfit has been demanding a separate state called Dima Raji comprising Assam's Dima Hasao, parts of Cachar, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon and Nagaland's Dimapur area. The Centre is yet to give any response to the demand.
The national projects in question that run through Dima Hasao were affected by the law and order problems in the district - extortion, killing and kidnappings by Dimasas, Nagas and other militant outfits were rampant. However, the surrender of major Dimasa outfits over the years helped put the projects back on track.
Under such circumstances, the fresh threat of the DHD is a nightmare for the region. All Barak Youths-Students' Association criticised DHD saying that the leaders of the surrendered militant outfit have been working as agents of the "transport lobby" in an aim to derail the rail and road projects. ABYSA said the projects in question have been languishing for decades only because of "influence of the transport lobby on the railway and government machineries."
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