Goalpara: The Assam government on Sunday launched a massive eviction operation to remove alleged encroachments on 1,140 bighas (over 376 acres) of forest land in the Dahikata Reserve Forest area of Goalpara district, officials said.
Nearly 600 families have been affected by the drive.
Goalpara Deputy Commissioner Prodip Timung said the operation was proceeding “peacefully” with no major resistance reported so far.
“Notices were issued more than 15 days ago to 580 families occupying forest land. Around 70 per cent of them vacated voluntarily, while the rest are in the process of leaving. We expect to complete the eviction today,” he said.
The district administration has deployed a large contingent of security personnel, dozens of excavators, and tractors to assist in the demolition of remaining structures.
The area has been divided into five operational zones for the exercise, Timung added.
The drive follows directives from the Gauhati High Court, which recently heard three petitions related to the eviction.
Officials said the cleared area falls within an elephant corridor, and removing encroachments is expected to help reduce incidents of human–elephant conflict.
Special Chief Secretary (Forest) M.K. Yadava said the step was crucial to restoring forest land.
“The area was an important passage for elephants. Clearing it will help ease man–animal conflict in the region,” he noted.
Some affected residents, however, claimed they have been living in the area for decades and possessed government documents and basic amenities.
“If we were encroachers, why did the government give us electricity, toilets, and Aadhaar cards?” asked Abdul Karim, one of the evicted residents.
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Since the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government assumed office in 2021, Assam has witnessed a series of large-scale eviction drives targeting alleged illegal encroachments, many of which have primarily affected Bengali-speaking Muslim families.
Earlier this month, Chief Minister Sarma reiterated that eviction operations will continue, asserting that “illegal Miyas” will not find peace under his administration.
He had earlier claimed that over 1.29 lakh bighas (more than 42,500 acres) of land have been cleared of encroachments in the past four years, while nearly 29 lakh bighas remain under occupation across the state.
