Guwahati: The eviction drive in Jamuna-Maudanga Reserved Forest resumed today , with the district administration and Forest Department targeting 152 families and seeking to reclaim around 525 bighas of allegedly encroached forest land in the Doboka area.
Around 12 bulldozers have been deployed for the operation. Ahead of the drive, officials made announcements over loudspeakers on Friday, directing the affected families to vacate their houses before the eviction began. After the announcement, some families reportedly started leaving their homes overnight.
The latest operation follows an eviction drive conducted in the reserved forest in January this year, when the administration evicted 1,098 families and reclaimed around 700 hectares of land.
However, 152 families had approached the court after the January operation and secured temporary relief from eviction. Their houses remained standing in the forest area while the matter was under consideration. With the resumption of the drive, the administration and the Forest Department are seeking to clear the remaining alleged encroachments and reclaim the land identified for eviction.
The operation marks a continuation of the administration’s efforts to remove alleged encroachments from the reserved forest, following the earlier eviction exercise in January.