Staff Reporter
Guwahati: It is not only forest land in Assam that is plagued with encroachment, but now it is seen that even proposed reserve forest land is facing the menace of illegal settlements. A total of 9,336 hectares of land in as many as 10 proposed reserve forests are under encroachment.
The reserve forest land under encroachment in the state is 3,35,322 hectares, which is the highest forest area of any state under encroachment in the country. Notably, there is a total of 12,82,490 hectares of reserve forest land in the state.
Bhairabkunda proposed reserve forest (PRF) in the Udalguri district has the highest area of 3,520 hectares of land under encroachment. Bhairabkunda PRF has a total area of 3,543 hectares. It appears that almost the entire land in this PRF has been encroached upon.
The PRF with the second-highest area under encroachment is Dibang Valley in the Tinsukia district, with 2,903 hectares encroached upon. Dibang Valley PRF comprises a total area of 3,605 hectares.
Kundarbil PRF in the Udalguri district has the dubious distinction of having its entire area of 992 hectares under encroachment. The other PRFs faced with full-scale encroachment are Mohong Pathar in the Tinsukia district with its 466 hectares encroached on; Talpather PRF in the same district with 170 hectares; Duarmara 1st Addition, also in the Tinsukia district, with 11.33 hectares; and Bhojkhowa PRF in the Sonitpur district, having its entire area of 910 hectares under encroachment.
The remaining PRFs also facing encroachment are Dihira PRF in the Baksa district, with 183 hectares of its area of around 616 hectares; Lebra PRF, also in the Baksa district, with 120 of its 365 hectares; and Newly PRF in the Udalguri district, with 60 of its total area of 568 hectares encroached on.
With such large-scale encroachment in reserve forests and PRFs in the state, it remains to be seen what measures are taken up by the state government to get rid of the problem of encroachment in the future and restore the forest cover.
Also read: Assam: Around 3.35 l hectares of rf lands still under encroachment
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