GUWAHATI: Assam Fisheries Development Corporation Ltd (AFDCL) is raising a question as to why the administration has kept 187 beels on the flip side of its policy of freeing lands from encroachers.
Such a question arises as the administration is seen to carry out eviction drives to free xatra and forest lands etc, leaving the whole lot of beels on the flip side of the eviction policy. Despite rampant encroachment, no eviction drive is carried out in the State to free 187 beels from encroachers.
According to AFDCL sources, the department handed over as many as 187 beels covering an area of 12,016.46 hectares of land to the Corporation for their upkeep. Nagaon has the highest number of 28 beels, followed by Dhubri with 25, Morigaon with 22, Cachar with 18, Golaghat with 13, Barpeta with 12, Karimganj with 11 etc. However, lands in most of the beels, mostly in Dhubri, Barpeta, Nagaon, Morigaon and Barak Valley districts have been encroached upon.
The 187 beels, according to AFDCL sources, were handed over to the Corporation in phases to increase fish production in the State and to encourage fishermen.
According to sources, the beels are leased out to fishermen for a specific term of seven years. As often as not, affluent people take such beels on lease in the name of fishermen. And encroachment, according to sources, takes place when beels are on lease.
Gauging the gravity of the situation, the Corporation wrote letters to the Deputy Commissioners concerned in January and February, 2019 requesting them to demarcate the boundaries of beels in their respective jurisdictions, carry out eviction drives and hand them over to the Corporation.
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