Demand to evict tea gardens of well-to-do section before evicting have-nots

Demand to evict tea gardens of well-to-do section before evicting have-nots

Our Correspondent

DIGBOI: Demanding immediate eviction of tea garden encroachers from Namphai Reserve Forest under Jagun range of Digboi Forest Division under Tirap Mouza, the representatives of Margherita unit of All Assam Mising Students’ Union, during a meeting with the SDO Civil Margherita recently, said that rehabilitation of the poor and genuine flood-affected migrants was more feasible if the tea gardens of the well-to-do section of people were evicted first from Namphai Reserve Forest.

The meeting with Sumit Sattawan, the SDO (Civil) Margherita in the chair, was also attended by various stakeholders, including the representatives of the All Assam Tribal Sangha, Man Tai Speaking Students’ Union, All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union, All Assam Tea Tribe Student Association, Mising Students’ Union, Tai-Ahom Jatiya Parishad, Tai-Ahom Students’ Union, Sema Students’ Union, Deori Students’ Union, local journalists and Margherita Zila Tribal Sangha to discuss at length and decide an effective course of action to eject the encroachers from the reserve forest and find a feasible solution to rehabilitate the genuinely flood-affected have-not group.

“The tea gardens of the well-to-do section should be evicted first before evicting the have-nots from the encroached sites and rehabilitation of the poor encroachers will be possible,” said the representative of the Mising student body and others stakeholders supporting the cause of the rehabilitation of the flood-affected people.

Following a threadbare discussion on the sensitive issue pertaining to constant and unabated encroachment and destruction to flora and fauna kingdom in the area, the house finally resolved that the forest cover should be preserved and protected from further encroachments and the Forest Right Act, 2006 should be implemented in letter and spirit. Further, the house decided that the eviction should not discriminate between the rich and the poor and that the encroachment in the form of tea garden should also be removed. It will, however, be unfair if the encroachment by various present and retired government officials and employees of the forest department is ignored here at various locations in and around Namphai Reserve Forest in Jagun, Lal Pahar and Phulbari Ghat area under Jagun and Lekhapani Range with a large chunk of forest land near Ledu and Tipong area has already fallen prey to evil eyes.

Meanwhile, Sattawan, the SDO Civil (Margherita), while taking the matter strongly for the promotion of the cause of the people and the bio-diversity, said that no verbal orders or request would be followed from whatsoever to allow the ongoing encroachments in the government land, including the forest. According to him, only written orders from the government would be entertained to this effect. The encroachment would only be allowed to continue on receipt of government orders in written format or else the provisions of the law would take its own course of action.

Accordingly, an eviction order was served by the SDO Margherita via letter MRD/Forest.6/2008-17/ 98 to the DFO Digboi to prepare an eviction plane and deploy adequate resources to realize the objectives. Furthermore, the administration also urged the forest department to carry out the joint survey with revenue officials for demarcation of forest land and revenue land so that all illegal tea gardens in and around Namphai Reserve Forest can be evicted. “What is the irony here is the delay and indifferent attitude of the forest department in carrying out the joint survey despite repeated letters,” said Sattawan.

Talking to The Sentinel, Sattawan said, “There are challenges which impede my way of delivering people-oriented services. Have-not sections of people have been struggling for a settlement while the haves have all means but still find their greed insatiable and adopt all means to exploit the resources illegally.”

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