Assam farmers lay siege on industry land belonging to cement company

GUWAHATI: A farmers’ organisation sent the industry circles in Assam in a tizzy on Friday by grabbing large swathes of land belonging to a cement manufacturing company.

The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) chief Akhil Gogoi claimed that Topcem India Ltd had breached the land ceiling by possessing the 34 bighas of farmland.

According to sources, several thousand people had taken part in the campaign against acquisition of farmland.

A panel will prepare within the next seven days a list of farmers to whom the land would be distributed, they said. Gogoi had been targeting three industrialists — Kailash Lohia, Ramavatar Bhurakia and Bajrang Lohia — in his mission to reclaim farmland being used by industry houses.

One of the three industrialists is associated with Topcem India, while they are partners in various other ventures.

The KMSS has threatened to occupy land belonging to another cement company as well. Industry lobby Federation of Industry and Commerce of the North East Region condemned the move.

“Such deplorable act will not only lead to vitiate the conducive environment, which is a prerequisite for investment in the state and is bound to send out wrong signals to investors,” it said.