The Gauhati High Court has voiced serious concerns regarding the Assam government's decision to transfer 3,000 bighas of land in the Dima Hasao district to a private cement company. The court has directed the state government to clarify the policy under which such a large tract of land was allotted in a constitutionally protected Sixth Schedule area.

The North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) reportedly handed over the land on the Umrangso–Lanka Road to Mahabal Cement Private Limited in October 2024 for the installation of a cement plant. An additional 1,000 bighas were allegedly allotted the following month. This transfer, which followed a cabinet decision by the Assam government, has triggered widespread protests and multiple legal challenges.

During a hearing on August 12, Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi questioned the allotment, and the court directed the NCHAC to submit records of the policy that justified handing over such a vast expanse of land to a private entity in Dima Hasao, a tribal-majority district governed by special constitutional protections. The bench also highlighted the ecological sensitivity of Umrangso, noting its hot springs, migratory bird habitats, and diverse wildlife.

The court is scrutinizing the purchase of 3,000 bighas of land in Assam's Dima Hasao district by a cement company, acting on a writ petition filed by local residents. The court has directed the NC Hills Autonomous Council to produce the complete file detailing the decision to allot the land, expressing concern over the scale of the transaction.

The allotment has already led to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and a separate writ petition being filed by residents, some of whom allege that they have been evicted from their ancestral land to make way for the project. The case is scheduled for its next hearing on September 1. Mahabal Cement had earlier signed a memorandum of understanding worth ₹11,000 crore with the Assam government during the “Advantage Assam 2.0” investment summit in February 2024, promising to establish a cement plant in Dima Hasao.

The Gauhati High Court stated it is "perturbed, curious and shocked" over allocating 3,000 bighas (nearly 1,000 acres) of land to a private cement company in Assam's tribal-majority Dima Hasao district and asked whether the environmental clearance has been taken for the project.

The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) has slammed the government and alleged that the Himanta Biswa Sarma administration has been systematically handing over land belonging to indigenous and tribal people to corporate houses. The party vowed to continue its fight against what it calls the “anti-people land policy” of the present regime.