Evict illegal encroachers from tribal belts and blocks: Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Mancha

OUR CORRESPONDENT

KOKRAJHAR: Referring to the recent eviction drive against the illegal encroachers in Dholpur, Sipajhar in Darrang district recently, the Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Mancha (BJSM) has demanded that the eviction should be carried out against encroachers in tribal belts and blocks in Assam and BTC as per provision of strong land laws.

The president of the BJSM, Janaklal Basumatary said that they fear that the evicted people may enter tribal belts and blocks as they have been witnessing a magical increase in numbers of the families in Kokrajhar while a section of displaced people gets rehabilitated. He said that the Government is not evicting the illegal encroachers of tribal belts and blocks in Assam, particularly in BTC despite having strong provision of Assam land law in chapter-X inserted in amendment of 1947 of the Assam Land and Land Revenue Regulation 1886.

"The illegal encroachers are liable to be evicted forthwith but the State government of Assam and the BTC government failed to comply the law of the land in the case of the tribal belts and blocks and particularly the Government of Assam has been partial in carrying out an eviction drive against the encroachers," he said adding that the government was active in the eviction of encroachers in Mandir, Namghar, and Xatra land and now riverine Khas land with full arm forces, but no action is taken for the eviction against encroachers in tribal belts and blocks despite Gauhati High Court's order in 2019.

Unfortunately, BTC government is also sitting tight over the matter, they are not sensitive to the matter and the fear of losing votes is their concern. Whereas for eviction purposes in tribal belts and blocks the Assam Government receives Rs 10 lakh for tribal belts and Rs 5 lakh for tribal blocks every month from the Central government but they never use it for the cost of eviction of tribal belt block encroachers, he said and added that the government is trying to divert it to other expenditure other than eviction in tribal belts and blocks.

"Such dishonest partiality against the tribal land right by Assam government is still going on but our tribal ministers and BTC chief are doing nothing to protect the tribal people," he said.

Basumatary said the Union government provided funds for the cost of eviction but tribal people of Assam have not raised their voice against the partial attitude of the Government of Assam on the matter of eviction drive in tribal belts and blocks. He also said the time had come for tribal people to stand united to press the Government for carrying out eviction against the illegal encroachers in tribal belts and blocks.

Also Read: Tribal villagers being systematically forced to vacate villages: BJSM

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