Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Thousands of residents and students gathered at Janata College Field on Sunday to demand the immediate removal of a poultry farm in Kumguri. The protest, led by the Land Protection Committee, marks a breaking point for 17 villages in the Kolabari area. The Dotma Development Block cancelled the farm's trade license on August 5, 2026, under Memo No. D.D.B/Trade Licence/2006-27/255. Officials ordered the operator to clear all structures and equipment within 15 days. The deadline passed weeks ago. The equipment remains.
Nearby educational facilities are suffering. Janata College and No. 2 Kolabari L.P. School sit in the shadow of the operation. Students and teachers report that a foul smell disrupts daily classes. Some children cannot even finish their midday meals. Others suffer from bouts of diarrhoea, leading residents to demand a formal health inspection. Villagers claim the stench is so aggressive that people avoid the main road entirely.
Rao Khungur Basumatary presided over the rally. D.D. Narzary of the Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Manch slammed local authorities for failing to enforce the closure. Tensions flared when some protesters marched toward the site, though police and organizers kept the peace. The group submitted a memorandum to the District Commissioner of Kokrajhar via the Dotma Circle Officer, who promised action.
The organizers left the administration with a firm ultimatum. They cited the ongoing health and academic risks as their primary motivation. "Our children have a right to study in a healthy environment. Students cannot concentrate, teachers cannot conduct classes comfortably and villagers cannot be expected to tolerate unbearable foul smell indefinitely," the protesters stated. The committee vows to ramp up their agitation if the government continues to ignore the law.
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