Major Eviction Drive In Assam's Goalpara To Remove Forest Land Encroachment

A massive eviction drive is being undertaken against those encroaching on forest land in Assam's Goalpara district. The eviction drive aims to reclaim over 140 hectares, or about 1,040 bighas, of encroached forest land in the Paikan Reserve Forest, primarily to curb human-elephant conflict and restore ecological balance.

The eviction drive is being carried out as per a high court order, said government sources, following a July 10 deadline given to the encroachers to vacate the area voluntarily.

The drive will focus on two major encroached zones - Bidyapara and Betbari - under the Krishnai range of the reserve forest, where several families are said to have been residing unlawfully for years.

"We are clearing 149 hectares. Several JCBs have been deployed. We want to complete the process by tomorrow. About 2,070 concrete structures need to be dismantled. This is a forest land that has been encroached upon. We had given notice twice; the first was in December.

"Goalpara district has recorded the highest human-elephant conflicts across the country. So, the high court has directed us to remove all encroachments on forest land," Tejash Mariswami, District Forest Officer (DFO), Goalpara, told NDTV.

In the run-up to the eviction drives, joint teams of the Forest Department and Assam Police have been conducting intensive patrolling, making public announcements via loudspeakers, and urging illegal occupants to leave peacefully.

Heavy deployment of police personnel, along with bulldozers, excavators, and senior officials, is in place to ensure the drive is conducted without disruption.

The administration has made it clear that the eviction is part of a larger conservation effort to protect the forest's ecological integrity and wildlife corridors. The countdown to the eviction has officially begun, with the administration determined to carry out the operation as scheduled.

One of the alleged encroachers tried to end his life while being evicted, but was stopped by one of his family members and was rushed to the hospital.

Opposition parties have launched protests over the eviction, with AIUDF leaders alleging they were being stopped by the police from going to the eviction site. Eight AIUDF MLAs staged a demonstration against the government outside the eviction site.

"These villages have been marked in the Assam NRC of 1951. People here have voter cards. Here, you can see electricity lines, roads, water projects, and government schools. Will you have all these in forest land? How can it be a forest land? How can these people be encroachers?" asked AIUDF MLA Hafiz Rafikul Islam.