HT DIGITAL
GUWAHATI, JULY 12: A massive eviction drive was initiated on Saturday morning by the Forest Department in Paikan Reserve Forest region of Krishnai in the Assam’s Goalpara district. The drive aims at removing encroachments from the protected forest land of around 1,038 bighas.
The eviction is being conducted in strategic locations like Bidyapara and Betbari, both within the limits of the reserve forest. Officials say over 1,080 families are being evicted. Positively, almost 70% of the residents moved out voluntarily following the earlier intimation notices, many dismantling their houses themselves.
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To conduct the operation with efficiency, close to 50 excavators have been deployed, along with more than a thousand security personnel and forest department workers. Regardless of the scale of the operation, the eviction has gone relatively peacefully, with no major resistance seen from the locals.
Although the majority of residents have been compliant, there have been poignant calls for resettlement assistance. Speaking about evictions, one evicted resident said, “We are not resisting the eviction. But seeing our houses destroyed right before our eyes with no alternative accommodation is intolerable. The government has to give us resettlement.” The Forest Department has explained that the eviction is a part of its larger endeavor to take back encroached forest land and re-establish ecological balance. Authorities stressed that saving the reserve forest is crucial to maintaining the area’s biodiversity and ensuring environmental equilibrium.
