Assam's Ambitious Eviction Drive: Clearing Encroachments in Forest Areas
Assam's Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has ordered district commissioners to survey and address encroachments on forest land. Evictions will exclude those eligible under the Forest Rights Act. While significant land has been cleared, more work remains, particularly affecting Bengali-speaking Muslim communities in riverine areas.
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Assam's Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has issued directives for district commissioners across the state to undertake comprehensive surveys to evaluate the scope of unauthorized encroachments on forest lands within their jurisdictions.
The surveys aim to facilitate eviction processes for residents not protected under the Forest Rights Act, which safeguards certain tribal communities living in forest areas before 2005. Sarma emphasized during a press conference that encroachment levels are alarmingly high.
To date, the eviction drives have cleared vast tracts of land, yet significant portions remain, notably affecting Bengali-speaking Muslim communities whose historical displacement is linked to river erosion. The ongoing eviction efforts represent a major exercise to reclaim occupied forest land in Assam.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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