Eviction begins to reclaim nearly 6000 bighas of forest land in Assam’s Hojai

Guwahati: An eviction drive began in Assam’s Doboka on Thursday to clear nearly 6,000 bighas of forest land in the Jamuna Maudanga Reserve Forest that officials said had been under illegal encroachment by more than 1,500 families from the minority community.The operation is the first eviction drive of the year in the state and is part of the state govt’s objective to restore forest land by removing encroachments.Hojai district commissioner Bidyut Bikash Bhagawati said the reserve forest covers 1,121.70 hectares, or around 8,385 bighas, and that 770 hectares, or 5,756 bighas, had been encroached upon for years. “Some claim that they were residing in the land for 20 years while some say they have occupied the forest land over the last 30 or more years,” he added.Officials said around 70% of the encroached area was cleared on Friday after more than 1,500 structures, including pucca and kutcha houses, were demolished. “The eviction will continue on Saturday to clear the remaining 30% encroached areas,” Bhagawati said.The district commissioner said about 80% of the encroachers have land outside the forest area and had settled on the forest land for cultivation. He said majority of the encroachers belong to the minority community.Police were deployed ahead of the eviction drive, which officials said was carried out in compliance with a court order. “No resistance was found during the eviction. It was peaceful. Almost all vacated on their own,” Bhagawati said.Officials said the eviction followed a Gauhati high court order, under which encroachers were first given a 15-day deadline to vacate, followed by an additional 15 days. They said the forest dept, acting on directives from the South Nagaon forest division, conducted a survey through the Yamuna Valley Range and issued eviction notices.The last major eviction drive in Assam was carried out in Nagaon district in Nov, when 6,000 bighas of the Lutumari Reserve Forest were cleared of encroachment, officials said. Since 2021, the state govt has cleared over 1.45 lakh bighas of encroached land.