The Assam government has approved the transfer of 3,000 bighas (around 992 acres) of land at the Doloo Tea Estate in Cachar district to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the development of a greenfield airport near Silchar, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Sunday.
The allocation marks an increase of 500 bighas from the earlier proposal of 2,500 bighas (826.45 acres). Sarma said the decision would help secure Union Cabinet approval for the project, which was initially proposed after expansion of the existing defence airport at Kumbhirgram was deemed unfeasible due to security restrictions and rising air traffic needs.
The land transfer follows a series of developments dating back to 2022, when the government distributed financial assistance to 1,296 families at Doloo Tea Estate “as a goodwill gesture”. Confusion over the acquisition process had earlier triggered protests by tea garden workers after then Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia stated that no proposal for such an airport had been received from the state. The government later clarified that the acquisition was being carried out at the request of AAI, and assured that no tea garden worker would be displaced or lose employment. The state had earlier announced ₹50 crore in compensation for land acquired from Doloo, Lalbagh and Mainagarh tea estates.
In June, Sarma said that a public hearing at Doloo Tea Estate had been completed, though workers under the Asom Mojuri Shramik Union (AMSU) expressed dissatisfaction and demanded either the return of the acquired land or alternative areas for tea cultivation.
At the cabinet meeting, the government also approved land allotments to 1,200 families under Mission Basundhara. It cleared a ₹243-crore collaborative project between Assam Engineering College and Dassault Systems India Pvt Ltd., which will be spread across 5,000 sq ft and offer courses in aerospace and defence, automotive technology and electric vehicles. Dassault Systems will invest ₹200 crore in the project, while the state government will contribute ₹43 crore.
Further, the cabinet granted administrative approval for the establishment of Assam’s second Sainik School at Longvaku in Karbi Anglong district. The institution will be built at a cost of ₹335 crore, with 80 per cent of the funding coming from the Ministry of Defence and the remaining 20 per cent from the state government. Compensation was also cleared for 884 families whose land was acquired for the four-lane National Highway project in Dima Hasao district. In addition, the government approved the Assam Logistics and Warehousing Policy, 2025, aimed at transforming the state into a major logistics hub for the Northeast.
Sarma also announced that the study of Assam’s history and geography would be made compulsory for students of Classes 6, 7 and 8. The decision is based on recommendations of a high-level committee chaired by retired Justice Biplab Kumar Sharma, formed to implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord.
Also read: Assam govt eases two-child policy for select communities
Follow us
