Assam: Eviction Drive Begins in Orang National Park, Approx 500 Encroachers Removed

GUWAHATI: In order to remove encroachers from animal corridor, Assam government begins a four-day eviction drive at Orang National Park in Assam's Sonitpur district on Sunday.

The eviction drive began in morning in Sonitpur district under tight security, according to sources. The eviction drive was first conducted in the district before moving on to Darrang district.

Notably, the districts of Sonitpur and Darrang also share the Orang National Park. The district's riverine areas are all to be included in the eviction drive, according to Deba Kumar Mishra, the district's deputy commissioner.

As per reports, Munindra Nath Ngatey, the deputy commissioner of Darrang, stated on Friday that individuals who have been forced out of their houses will be granted land in Morigaon and provided employment opportunity.

He claimed that the majority of the populace had already left their homes and came from the nearby districts of Nagaon and Morigaon. The initiative is anticipated to result in the clearing of 13,000 acres of the National Park, including more than 6,800 acres in Sonitpur.

The DC discussed the planned eviction drive in the Orang National Park, which is located in the Assamese districts of Darrang and Sonitpur on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River.

On the other hand, the drive in Burachapori is Assam's fourth such eviction operation in only two months. Since it removed more than 5,000 accused encroachers, the exercise in Nagoan's Batadrava on December 19 of last year has been regarded as one of the largest in the area. On December 26, another drive to remove 400 bighas in Barpeta was conducted in its wake.

Moreover, on January 10, the administration launched an eviction campaign to clear 450 hectares of encroached land in the Pava Reserve Forest, part of the Lakhimpur district. The effort lasted for several days and resulted in the displacement of some 500 "illegally settled" households. A sizable portion of forest that had been converted to farmland was also cleared.

Since taking office in May 2021 under the leadership of Himanta Biswa Sarma, the state has carried out numerous eviction drives.

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