Assam govt’s mega eviction drive: Thousands of acres of illegally encroached reserved forest land in Uriamghat to be reclaimed from encroachers
A massive eviction drive is being carried out by the Assam government against illegal infiltration. A part of it involves clearing 11,000 bighas (approximately 3,600 acres) of land in the Rengma Reserve forest at Uriamghat, bordering Nagaland.
The Himanta Biswa Sarma government has undertook a massive crackdown against land encroachment by illegal migrants. The first phase of this process, beginning on Tuesday July 29, will be the latest one in a series of evictions.
Around 2,000 families, accused of illegally occupying forest land and turning it into betel nut plantations tied to the betel mafia, are the target of the ongoing eviction drive. Many people illegally occupying the area have fled, and are seeking refuge elsewhere in Assam.
Approximately 700–800 police officers, along with Forest Department teams and CRPF personnel, have been deployed in and around the Rengma Forest Reserve. Bulldozers and excavators have also been brought in for the operation.
These evictions follow detailed land surveys across 30 villages in the Sarupathar sub-division. The Assam government says most encroachers come from Muslim-majority districts like Nagaon, Morigaon, Sonitpur, Cachar, Dhubri, Barpeta, and Hojai.
“The forest department has divided the area into nine blocks and the residents have been given notices to vacate the area in seven days. In preparation for the eviction, more than 1,500 forces including police, commandos and forest protection personnel have been deployed there,” a district official was quoted as saying.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that 70% of the identified encroachers had already vacated voluntarily. He reaffirmed the government’s goal of reclaiming forest and public land. Last week, CM Sarma mentioned that over the past four years, 1.29 lakh bighas (roughly 42,500 acres) of land had been cleared, although nearly 29 lakh bighas (around 9.5 lakh acres) remain encroached.
In response, the Nagaland government has advised border districts to stay alert and stop these illegal encroachers from crossing into their territory.
While clarifying that the eviction is not a targeted action, BJP MLA Biswajit Phukan said, “More than 90 per cent of the people have already cleared their possessions and left.”
While sharing a video on X, CM Sarma said that the young generation is profoundly practicing the culture at Uriamghat which the encroachers wanted to destroy by altering the demography. He further urged that these people and their supporters should know that Assam is the land where culture blooms in every corner and resonates in every heart.
“In Uriamghat, our young generation is proudly practicing our culture, which the encroachers wanted to destroy by altering the demography. These people and their supporters should realise that Assam is the land where culture blooms in every corner and resonates in every heart”, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
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