Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Tensions flared in Morigaon on August 28, 2026, during a public hearing for a proposed Max Cement grinding unit at Khanduba in Dharamtul. Residents from Khanduba and South Dharamtul gathered to protest, alleging the administration denied them a voice. They claim the session was a sham. Officials from the district and the Assam State Pollution Control Board presided over the event.
Protesters assert that locals were barred from entry, while the company bused in supporters from distant areas like Ahotguri. Some attendees reported that local BJP leaders and land brokers actively silenced opposition. Rakesh Hazarika, executive director of the Centre for Efficient Governance, claimed he was blocked from questioning the project's Environmental Impact Assessment. "During the hearing, I wanted to raise some questions on the discrepancies in the EIA report. Although officials present at the hearing allowed me to speak, some local political party leaders barred me from speaking, and I could not make my point at the hearing," Hazarika said.
Locals allege Max Cement acquired 70 bighas of land through a middleman who falsely claimed the site was for a godown. Documentation suggests the parent firm, Green Valley Industries Limited, requested land in June 2024 under the guise of building a private house. The land status was later switched to industrial use. Residents now fear the plant will drain groundwater and poison the Kopili river.
Conservationists point to severe ecological risks. The site sits near the Kholahat reserve forest, a corridor for endangered Indian elephants. Documentary filmmaker Gaurab Talukdar warned of threats to migratory Amur Falcons and the Gangetic river dolphin, five of which were confirmed in the Kopili by a 2024 Wildlife Institute of India study. Critics also flagged glaring errors in the EIA, including copy-paste references to a Gujarat wild ass sanctuary and the Gujarat Pollution Control Board. Three local schools were also absent from the report.
While controversy engulfs the cement project, the Assam Agriculture and Irrigation Minister Pijush Hazarika continues to promote the state's Agriculture Infrastructure Fund. He stated that the government remains focused on empowering farmers through mechanization and value addition. The Morigaon District Agriculture Department recently hosted an awareness drive to explain these financial schemes. Minister Hazarika urged farmers to use these funds to build a more sustainable sector, even as their neighbors in Dharamtul continue to fight for their land.
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