Major Eviction Drive In Assam's Goalpara To Remove Forest Land Encroachment

A CORRESPONDENT

GOALPARA: With a view to clear about 1038 bighas of forest land under the Paikan reserve forest, the Goalpara district administration in collaboration with the forest, police, and several other departments began a mass eviction drive on Saturday morning.

The drive, aimed to evict thousands of alleged encroachers in Ashudubi, Bidyapara, and Betbari, began amid tight security and strict vigilance by police and armed forces and with the help of several excavators.

According to information, 1080 families lived in the Paikan village where eight mosques, four schools, a Jal Jeevan Mission scheme, and Madrassa were present.

Political parties like Congress and AIUDF and several of their MLAs raised protests outside the eviction site alleging the act as gross violation of the ruling of the Gauhati High Court which had directed the government to arrange for food and shelter for the evicted people prior to the drive. Meanwhile, both the Goalpara district administration as well as the police administration claimed that most of the people had left the eviction site prior to the drive’s implementation.

Reportedly, one Foyjal Hoque, a resident of the eviction site, allegedly tried to commit suicide fearing loss of his house and was later admitted to a local hospital. However, no other untoward incident was reported from the eviction drive site and the administration was able to successfully clear the encroached areas.

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