Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The All Assam Tribal Sangha (AATS) has demanded the state government conduct eviction drives in the tribal belts and blocks in the state, in line with the eviction drives on encroached lands presently being carried out across the state.
Addressing a press meet today, AATS secretary general Aditya Khakhlari said, “We welcome the eviction drives being conducted, but our organisation has long been demanding that such eviction drives should be carried out in tribal belts and blocks as well, but no government to date has initiated such a drive. According to information tabled in the Assembly in 2017, of the 85,80,084 bigha of land in 47 belts and blocks, an area of 4,18,076 bigha 2 katha, and 11 lecha of land is under encroachment. In the Kamrup (Metro) district, the encroached land is 2,046 bigha.”
“Ruling in PIL case 78/2012, filed by Pradyut Kumar Bora, the Gauhati High Court had issued an order on December 9, 2019, asking the government to carry out eviction drives in the tribal belts and blocks. In the order, the court had ordered the district commissioners to ensure that the eviction drives are carried out and to report about such drives to the HC. The HC had even threatened to deduct salaries of the DCs if they failed to carry out the order,” Khakhlari further said.
“However, from 2019 to the present day, the state government has failed to carry out a single eviction drive, even though the Coordination Committee for Tribal Organisations Association (CCTOA) and AATS have repeatedly asked the government to do so,” he complained.
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