HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Dec 16: As part of the Assam government’s ongoing efforts to free government land and wetlands from illegal encroachment, a major eviction drive was carried out on Tuesday in several areas under the Dhing Revenue Circle of Nagaon district, officials said.
The drive began early in the morning at villages including Tuktuki, Salnabari and Ahomgaon and later extended to areas such as Roumari beel, Bherberi beel, Moiradhaj Katahguri, Akarabari and Magurmari beel.
Related Posts:
The operation targeted encroachments on over 100 acres of government land, including wetlands and natural streams, where unauthorised embankments and ponds had been constructed for fisheries.
Officials said encroachers had built embankments around water bodies such as Roumari beel, dug hundreds of ponds and blocked the natural flow of water, resulting in recurring artificial floods and damage to rural roads across nearly 15 revenue villages over the past several years.
During Tuesday’s drive, authorities dismantled embankments, demolished illegal structures and cleared ponds used for unauthorised fish farming.
The operation was conducted peacefully.
Nagaon District Commissioner Debashish Sarma, along with Additional District Commissioners Sudip Nath and Shouvik Bhuyan and Dhing Revenue Circle Officer Saurav Kumar Das, supervised the eviction.
Sarma said the drive aims to restore natural water channels and ensure that local residents do not continue to suffer from flooding caused by encroachments.
He added that the eviction would continue till December 19 and may be extended if required to fully clear the area.
More than 250 police and security personnel were deployed to maintain law and order during the operation. Due to the narrow and marshy terrain, bulldozers could not initially access some encroached sites, and over 100 labourers were engaged to dismantle embankments manually using tools before heavy machinery was brought in.
Officials said around 200 families involved in managing the illegal ponds had already vacated the area, as they have residences elsewhere in the district.
The current operation is part of a four-day drive scheduled from December 16 to 20, during which the administration plans to clear around 230 bighas of encroached government land in phases.
This is the second major eviction exercise in Nagaon district within a month, following a drive in late November to clear encroachment on reserved forest land in the Lutimari area.
Eviction drives have resumed across Assam since June this year, affecting thousands of families.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said such drives will continue as the government remains committed to clearing encroached land, including forests, grazing reserves, satras, namghars and other public areas, in a phased manner. (With inputs from PTI)
