Assam Govt Launches Phased Eviction Drive as CM Vows to Reclaim 1,250 sq km of Encroached Land

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The BJP-led NDA government in Assam has started eviction drives to free encroached lands in the state. Reclaiming encroached lands topped the BJP’s election manifesto (Sankalpa Patra 2026) that has 31 pledges.

The first such drive began in the Amingaon area in the Kamrup district on May 16, 2026. According to sources, the government will intensify the drives in phases.

Writing on his X handle today, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “NDA 3.0 is committed to reclaiming over 1,250 sq km of encroached land in Assam. We are already on the ground working towards realising this promise.”

In the run-up to the Assam Assembly election 2026, the Chief Minister said that a total of 1,25,362 bighas of forest land have been cleared in the past five years. However, 20 lakh bighas of forest land were still to be made free from encroachers, he said.

Assam is one of the states in India with the highest encroachment of forest land.

The election manifesto of the BJP read, “We will protect the land, heritage and dignity of the indigenous people of Assam by (i) implementing the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, to expedite the process of detection and pushback of illegal immigrants. (ii) Freeing every inch of land from encroachment by illegal immigrants. (iii) Providing land rights to all genuine citizens of Assam under Mission Basundhara. (iv) Freeing the remaining encroached lands of xatras, namghars, devalayas and other places of worship and cultural heritage and providing financial assistance under the Asom Darshan Scheme.”

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