Assam govt reaffirms tough stand on encroachment, evictions to continue: CM Sarma
The Chief Minister reiterated that if encroachers occupy government land, eviction will be carried out
Guwahati, July 13: The government has reiterated its firm stand on carrying out eviction drives against encroachers occupying government land.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while inspecting the flood situation in Golaghat on Sunday, highlighted that settlers encroaching the forests as well as critical VGR and PGR lands would have to vacate.
He informed that a team of Forest Department officials will soon visit Golaghat’s Uriamghat to assess whether forest there has been encroached upon.
“Once we are convinced that the people have occupied forest lands, we will take appropriate action after consulting the local MLA and residents,” the Chief Minister told the press.
The Chief Minister also raised concerns over reports of daily buses plying between Golaghat’s Uriamghat and Dhing and Rupahihat in Nagaon district.
“If homeless people occupy government land, I can understand the issue. But why are people from another district coming here daily? These developments could potentially change the demography of Golaghat, and hence I am keeping a close eye on this matter,” he added.
It must be noted that the government has maintained a tough stance against encroachment, carrying out eviction drives in various parts of Assam. Eviction operations were conducted in Dhubri and Goalpara just last week to remove encroachers from government land.
In Dhubri, it has been alleged that the eviction was done to clear land for the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), which would later hand it over to the Adani Group. In Goalpara’s Paikan Reserve Forest, the eviction was carried out to prevent man-elephant conflict by establishing bamboo plantations in the area.
Defending the eviction policy, the Chief Minister earlier highlighted that the very nature of eviction is harsh. “There is nothing humane about eviction. If people don’t vacate after receiving notices, bulldozers will definitely roll in. What is the definition of a humane eviction then?” he asked.
On July 10, during an event in Kokrajhar, Sarma had once again reiterated the BJP government’s resolve to remove illegal settlers from government land. “The BJP will carry out eviction drives. No one can stop us. Bangladeshi nationals will be evicted,” he had asserted on the sidelines of the event.