After a brief pause, the Government of Assam resumed its relentless drive against encroachers of Government land, this time the scene of action was western part of the State. Around 1,140 bighas (153 hectares) of land was cleared and 580 families were evicted from Dahikata Reserve Forest in Goalpara.
According to the District Commissioner of Goalpara, most of these families were issued over 15 days of notice to vacate the area, while a majority of them left voluntarily. No resistance was observed during the drive, the senior official said.
The DC also added that the drive was conducted in accordance with orders received from the Gauhati High Court following hearings on several petitions filed over land encroachments in the district.
“The land was divided into five segments to make the process more systematic. One of the blocks witnessed some resistance, but authorities said the situation was quickly brought under control. No major violence or injuries were reported during the operation,” he told the media.
According to forest officials, Dahikata is a reserve forest and a major elephant corridor underscoring the importance of the drive.
The eviction is part of the broader campaign undertaken by the Assam Government to free public and forest land, which it says is illegally occupied.
Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma has been maintaining his stand that these evictions need not be viewed through the prism of targeting a particular community but was important to protect Government and forest land from illegal occupation.
Goalpara district has experienced multiple mega eviction drives to clear encroachments on forest land. For instance, a similar eviction drive to clear 140 hectares of forest land in the Paikan Reserve Forest in the district had been conducted on 12th July, and on 16th June, a drive to evict over 600 families from a wetland area in the district’s Hasila Beel had been conducted.
The recent drive marks the first major eviction operation in two months. The campaign had slowed after the death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg on September 19.
The Assam Chief Minister announced a fresh eviction drive during a Facebook Live session stressing that his administration will continue these efforts despite public criticism and political pressure.
“A lot of people had thought whether the evictions would be stopped. We have brought so much pressure on Himanta Biswa Sarma, he will no longer have the courage to conduct evictions. I want to inform you that I cannot make you happy. On 9th and 10th November, in Goalpara’s Dahikata forest, evictions will begin,” the Chief Minister informed his social media followers before the eviction drive began afresh.
In several statements over the past year, Sarma has said that public land belongs to the people of Assam and that illegal settlers cannot continue to occupy it in the name of religion or community.
Sarma has also linked the issue to population pressure in some parts of Assam, claiming that unchecked migration and illegal settlements have caused environmental damage and social imbalance.
In another massive eviction drive, the Government of Assam cleared nearly 795 hectares of reserved forest land at Lutimari in Nagaon district, displacing around 1,500 families who had been living there for decades.
Special Chief Secretary (Forest), Government of Assam, M.K. Yadav said, “The eviction would help restore the forest ecosystem and reduce rising cases of human–elephant conflict in the region. Clearing encroachment from forest land is essential to prevent conflict between wildlife and humans. This is a conservation-driven operation.”
