A CORRESPONDENT
SILCHAR: After Hailakandi, it is now the turn for Sribhumi, as the Forest Department issued eviction notices to one thousand families allegedly residing illegally in the reserved forest areas in Patharkandi. An official source stated that the eviction notices were served to people residing in forest land under the Patharkandi constituency, including the Isharpar, Madhabpur, Balia, Madhurbond, Chagalmoya, Magura, and Jogisora villages. The notices direct residents to vacate the forest land within a stipulated time frame.
Following the notices, many affected families have begun dismantling their homes on their own and preparing to move to alternative locations. Several residents said that they had been living in the area for decades without any prior objection from the authorities.
An elderly woman claimed that she had been living here since her marriage. The woman, whose husband passed away earlier, stated, "The Forest Department took no action for so many years, and now we are being forced to break the houses we had built with our hands."
The eviction drive has raised concerns among local residents, many of whom claim that they have no alternative land or rehabilitation arrangement.
A similar eviction drive was launched last month in the south Hailakandi forest areas.
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