GUWAHATI, JAN 9: A massive eviction drive to clear over 500 hectares of encroached forest land in Assam’s Lakhimpur district will be undertaken by the administration on January 10.
Over 600 state police and CRPF personnel have been deployed for the smooth eviction drive at Pava Reserve Forest in Lakhimpur.
Lakhimpur Superintendent of Police Bedatnta Madhab Rajkhowa said, “We are fully prepared to conduct the eviction drive in a peaceful manner,”.
The Himanta Biswa Sarma- led BJP government in Assam has taken a strong step against illegal encroachment and so far they have carrying out drives to free the land from illegal encroachers.
Out of 2,560.25 hectares of Pava Reserve Forest, only 29 hectares are currently free of any encroachment. In the first phase on January, 10,500 hectares in Adhasona and Mohaghuli villages will be cleared.
Lakhimpur Divisional Forest Officer Ashok Kumar Dev Choudhury said that at least 701 families had encroached upon the Pava forest land over the past decades. The illegal settlers include people from different parts of the State as well as local residents displaced due to flood and erosion.
Lakhimpur Deputy Commissioner Sumit Sattawan said about 80 families have already left the village and another 100 are still living there.
“We have requested people still residing on these lands to leave peacefully,” the DC added.
Meanwhile, heavy security forces were deployed in the reserve forest for the eviction drive.
The Himanta Biswa Sarma led-BJP government after assuming power in Assam has taken a strong step to free the government’s land from illegal encroachers. So far huge hectares of government land were free from encroachment.