HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, July 25: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday visited Uriamghat in Assam’s Golaghat district to inspect large tracts of land reportedly under illegal occupation and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to systematically clear encroachments from public lands across the state.
According to an official statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office, the inspection followed eviction notices already served to encroachers in the area.
Related Posts:
The Chief Minister informed that thousands of bighas of land in Uriamghat had been unlawfully occupied, with some families claiming as much as 300 to 400 bighas each and engaging in various economic activities on the land.
Speaking to media persons after the inspection, Sarma said, “The government cannot remain indifferent to such large-scale encroachments. We will take appropriate action. So far, nearly 70% of the encroachers have voluntarily vacated the land.”
He appealed to the public for cooperation in the eviction process, highlighting that those who had settled on the land included people from different districts of Assam—including Cachar, Sribhumi, Dhubri, Barpeta, Hojai, Nagaon, and Morigaon—as well as from other states such as West Bengal and Bihar.
He added that names and addresses of the settlers were being collected and would be shared with respective district authorities for verification and appropriate action.
The Chief Minister noted that similar eviction notices had also been issued in the Negheribil area of Golaghat district and expressed hope that encroachers in that area too would vacate the land soon.
Citing intelligence reports, Sarma said that the encroached Uriamghat area had become a hub for criminal activity and stressed that restoring public land would also help in restoring peace.
He further informed that two individuals allegedly involved in orchestrating the encroachments had already been arrested.
He reiterated that the state government possesses a comprehensive list of encroached areas and will address them in a phased and systematic manner.
The chief minister emphasised that land belonging to Village Grazing Reserves (VGR), Professional Grazing Reserves (PGR), Satras, Naamghars, forest areas, and other public institutions will be cleared of all unauthorised occupation.
Once the Uriamghat drive concludes, he stated, over 1.5 lakh bighas of land will have been cleared across Assam.
The official statement also mentioned the government’s plan to utilise reclaimed areas for economic development.
The Forest Department and district administration will work towards generating livelihood opportunities for local youth through sustainable use of resources such as stone, sand, and forest produce.
Sarma added that reforestation and other conservation initiatives would be undertaken to protect the vacated land.
He acknowledged the role of public feedback, stating that many citizens had recently flagged cases of encroachment in their areas via social media.
He urged the public and organisations to continue reporting such instances to the administration to prevent further illegal occupation of public lands.
Sarma was accompanied during the visit by local MLA Biswajit Phukan, Special Chief Secretary (Forests) MK Yadav, Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) Akhilesh Kumar Singh, Golaghat Deputy Commissioner Pulak Mahanta, and other senior administrative and police officials.
He also expressed gratitude to the Government of Nagaland for extending cooperation in the ongoing drive.
