Karbi villagers oppose high-voltage transmission towers through Nartap area

Jorabat, Jan 4: Residents of 13 Karbi-dominated villages in the Nartap area under the Sonapur Revenue Circle have strongly opposed the Electricity Department’s plan to install high-voltage transmission towers through their settlements, warning of serious threats to land, livelihood, public safety and indigenous cultural sites.

The project involves laying 400/220/132/33 KV high-voltage transmission lines through a densely populated agrarian belt, part of a proposed corridor from Chamata to Byrnihat. Villagers allege the alignment would pass over limited agricultural land, residential areas and sacred Karbi religious spaces, including traditional Dehal Puja sites.

The region’s residents, many of whom have lived on the land for generations without receiving pattas despite repeated applications, said the project would severely shrink already scarce cultivable land and expose communities to health and safety risks. Protesters have also rejected compensation offers, asserting that monetary relief cannot replace land security and cultural heritage.

The Amri Karbi Students’ Union, along with affected villagers, submitted a memorandum to the Co-District Commissioner, Dimoria, recently demanding that the transmission line be rerouted through a non-inhabited alternative alignment.

Speaking after submitting the memorandum, Ramen Kathar, general secretary of the Amri Karbi Students’ Union, said, “We are not opposed to development, but we will not accept development imposed at the cost of indigenous land, lives and culture. The proposed alignment is arbitrary and unjust. If the authorities ignore our legitimate concerns and proceed without consultation, we will be forced to intensify democratic protests.”

The protesters urged the administration to halt the current alignment and initiate dialogue with the affected communities, warning that unilateral execution of the project could trigger widespread agitation in the area.