Lakhimpur: Ahead of a major anti-encroachment operation scheduled by the Lakhimpur District Administration on Thursday, November 12, dozens of families in Boginadi have preemptively demolished their own houses. The eviction drive, targeting illegal settlers on the Boginadi Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR), is set to commence on Thursday morning under the Kadam Revenue Circle.
Desperate to salvage building materials, residents were seen tearing down concrete walls, removing tin roofing sheets, and packing up timber frames. "We received the government notice to clear the protected grazing land," shared a local resident while dismantling his home. "If the bulldozers demolish it, we will lose everything. By breaking down our own homes, we can at least save the bricks and tin sheets to rebuild elsewhere."
The Boginadi operation is part of a massive, synchronized district-wide campaign running through mid-November. The administration has issued eviction notices to roughly 450 families allegedly occupying government property and Village Grazing Reserves (VGR).
Boginadi alone accounts for the highest concentration of targeted settlers, with 130 families served official notices.
Lakhimpur District Commissioner Pronab Jit Kakoty stated that the administration is following due protocol across all locations. Local MLA Ganesh Kumar Limbu noted that most families have moved without heavy protest, as many own properties in alternative areas.
To ensure safety, the administration coordinated with Senior Superintendent of Police Gunendra Deka to deploy a heavy police presence to maintain law and order.
The crackdown aligns with the state government's strict anti-encroachment policy. Highlighting previous phases of the drive in Bihpuria that dismantled 32 commercial shops, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reiterated the state’s hardline stance on public land.
"Our government will continue its campaign until every single inch of government and forest land is recovered from illegal encroachers," Sarma asserted during a recent public address.
Following the Boginadi drive, final operations are scheduled for November 14 at Koilamari and Borbil.