Large-Scale Eviction in Golaghat, Assam Clears 3,600 Acres

Golaghat, Assam, Jul 29 (PTI) - The Assam government initiated a large-scale eviction operation on Tuesday, aiming to clear the reported encroachment of over 3,600 acres of forest land in Golaghat district, according to officials. This action by the state government is set to impact at least 1,500 families, sources indicated. Several high-ranking officials from the Golaghat district administration and the forest department informed PTI that the eviction campaign commenced in the early hours to remove the alleged encroachment on nearly 11,000 bighas (over 3,600 acres) of land within the Rengma Reserve Forest located in Uriamghat, adjacent to the Assam-Nagaland border in the Sarupathar sub-division. "The eviction operation began at the main market in the Bidyapur area, and we plan to gradually move towards residential areas to dismantle illegal housing structures," stated an official. The official reported that approximately 10,500 to 11,000 bighas of land were settled illegally by residents. "Around 2,000 families reside in these encroached areas. We issued notices to about 1,500 families identified as illegal settlers. The rest are classified as forest dwellers and possess certificates from the Forest Rights Committee (FRC)," the official elaborated. Reports from locals indicate that the families facing home demolitions belong to the Muslim community, whereas FRC certificate holders hail from the Bodo, Nepali, and other communities. "About 80 percent of the families who received notices have vacated their unlawful settlements in recent days. We are only proceeding with the demolition of these vacated homes," added the official.

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