Forest Land Liberation: Assam's Bold Eviction Drive

The Assam government has evicted 146 families from forest land in Golaghat district as part of a legal effort to reclaim encroached land. Cooperation with Nagaland authorities facilitated the process. Future efforts will include further removals and a plantation drive, affecting primarily Bengali-speaking Muslim communities.

The Assam government, actively reclaiming encroached forest land, has evicted 146 families in Golaghat district, officials announced. Conducted at Negheribil, near the Assam-Nagaland border, this initiative is part of a comprehensive drive to restore lands within the Doyang Reserve Forest, according to Special Chief Secretary MK Yadav.

This extensive operation cleared over 50 hectares, housing numerous unauthorized structures, following due legal procedures including prior notices to those involved. The Nagaland government's collaboration was key in executing the eviction smoothly, noted Yadav. Authorities are scheduled to begin removing remaining encroachments in Uriamghat and Negheribil from August 16.

While a plantation drive is set to commence in Uriamghat, the drive marks the ninth since June, with the largest clearing 1,500 hectares. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that over 160 sq km has been freed of encroachments since May 2021, primarily affecting Bengali-speaking Muslims, displaced from their eroded lands along the Brahmaputra River.

(With inputs from agencies.)