AGARTALA / DAMCHHERA / PANISAGAR, December 28 (TIWN): Heavy resentments brewing over proposed 800 acres Gas Based Urea Fertilizer plant at Damchhera R D Block, Panisagar. Local Halam, Reang tribals won't give-up land but ready to face death in upcoming days if Tripura Govt, ONGC, Chambal Fertilizers finally moves ahead in acquiring land forcibly from Halam, Reang tribals. Even though CM Manik Sarkar tried his best to impress upon PM Modi to help getting Central environment clearance, Central fund for establishing infrastructure during PM’s Tripura visit on December 1st, but Central Govt is still non-committal about infrastructure fundings, environmental clearance for this project. If at all in future this plant comes up, it would certainly bring a massive catastrophe in the form of soil, water, air pollution affecting the lives of lakhs of people living in North Tripura's hilly region. A storm of controversy has risen between Panisagar Sub Divisional administration and the local tribals of Halam, Reang community living in the land under Damchhera R D Block.

This is the place where the proposed Gas Based Urea Fertilizer plant  is scheduled to be built. Purely depending on Jhum Cultivation these families are unhappy with the current state govt attitude towards them and now they are stubborn to fight till death in order to protect their household. Already the Halam Community has formed Ranlong Youth Association (RYA) with Jabosh Ronglong as its President and Joy Chiang Thang as Secretary.

CM Manik Sarkar's letter submitted to PM Modi on December 1, 2014 at State Guest House.

     Speaking to TIWN, both President and Secretary of Ronglong Youth Association(RYA) said, " These people are the sons of the soil since birth. Main occupation of these Halam Community people is Jhum Cultivation. If Fertilizer plant is built on this hill, people living on this hill will die from starvation. Moreover, the plant will have serious impact on environment." They demanded that on 16th June 1974 the then Chief Minister Sukhomoy Sengupta allotted this land to these Halam community people. Long after this current Left Front Govt allotted land to 196 families under Rehabilitation Scheme. Surprisingly out of 196 families 136 families are yet to get such document. They also claim that as per ammemdment of Section 16,189 of Land Revenue Act 1960 state govt can easily give tenant rights to these Halam community people if it desires so.

    The proposed land is located in Rahunchhera Mouja of Damchhera R D Block . The disputed land is surrounded by Mizoram on the east, Dharmanagar is located around 20km distance from here, Roah Natural Sanctuary is located on the North and Kanchanpur Sub Division on the West.  Among the 2016 inhabitants of the hill 60% belong to Halam community, 35% to Reang and rest 5% to Rupini community. In order to solve the dispute several times RYA made reputation to SDM Panisagar but after their deputation the SDM did not pay heed to their basic demands but imposed a restriction on the entry of anybody on the disputed land by installing a signboard of 'No entry without permission'  Rather the SDM imposed an injection on the illegal entry of any body. " The area has a Primary School and a Senior Basic School.

      Literally the name Bom Sowol came from a Halam word. Actually Bom means Beer and Sowol means hunting. Thus the term Bom Sowol means hunting of a deer. One senior member of the Halam community namely Rengukthang Halam told TIWN ," We have learnt from our ancestors that a huge deer was killed by the people living in this hill many years before. Since then it is know as Ronglong Hill, Bhalluk Cherra."  

As per the scientists, proposed Urea Plant will bring enormous devastations to the whole region. Air pollution, soil and water contamination, diseases, early death of tribals, destruction of nature, wildlife will affect this region for centuries - whole landscape  would turn into a desert due to poisonous effect of  Urea Plant.