Assam begins forest land eviction campaign in Golaghat district

Guwahati: The Assam government has taken a major eviction drive at Golaghat district to remove people who are living illegally on forest land. The drive, which got underway recently, to recover over 3,600 acres (about 11,000 bighas) of land in the Rengma Reserve Forest near the Assam-Nagaland border.

As per the official, over 2,000 families are residing in this area, but eviction notices were given to only 1,500 families. Officials said these families were living without any permission. The rest of the families are said to be forest inhabitants with official documents from the Forest Rights Committee (FRC).

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Numerous homes in the area were constructed under government schemes such as PM Awas Yojana-Gramin, with facilities like water supply from Jal Jeevan Mission, schools under Sarba Siksha Abhiyan, and electricity connections. The entire area is replete with markets, mosques, churches, and madrassas in the area.

The eviction started from the Bidyapur market area, and it gradually moved into residential zones. The Muslim community is on the receiving end, along with the families with FRC certificates from Bodo, Nepali, Manipuri, and other communities.

According to the officials' report, almost 80% of the people who received notices have left their respective homes, and demolition work is taking place in empty homes.