Assam: Two Arrested for Illegally Settling People In Return for Money in Hojai

GUWAHATI: On Tuesday, 16 November the Hojai Police arrested another person named Janaik Anuwar along with Najrul on similar charges of establishing people illegally for the benefits of earning cash. Hojai Police detained Najrul from Nakhuti village in Lumding for allegedly establishing a number of families in the Lumding Reserve Forest in return for money.

The Hojai Police conducted an eviction drive where the name of Najrul was disclosed by the people who had been evicted in the recently conducted drive. The people in the drive have also revealed the name of a person named Janaik Anuwar along with Najrul who was equally responsible in the illegal settlement of people for money carried out by Najrul and others.

The name of Najrul was also mentioned by Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma while he was discussing the earlier conducted eviction drive. The chief minister talked about Najrul's activities associated with establishing people illegally in the Lumding Reserve Forest for the benefit of money.

Around 555 households were demolished as these were earlier constructed illegally inside the reserve forest without permission from authorities. According to officials, about 1,410 hectares of the forest land are under encroachment and approx 1,500 families settled in forest areas to cultivate turmeric and ginger and had built a school, a church and a mosque.

The second major eviction drive as an initiative by the state government was held in two months after the Gauhati high court gave the order of clearing the encroached and intruding parts of the reserve forests. On 30 September the court directed the government of Assam to clear the encroachment in a phased manner.

During the long day eviction drive in the evacuation process in Assam by Hojai Police on Monday 15 November that continued till Tuesday 16 November, a total of 650 houses had been traced by the Hojai administration located inside the reserve forest and 85% of these houses had already been deconstructed by Hojai authorities.

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