Assam: TYPA hails eviction drives with a broader perspective

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Various organizations have welcomed the eviction drive being carried out by the state government to free forest and other lands from encroachers so as to secure the future of the indigenous and tribal people of the state. The drive is quite in sync with Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma’s oft-repeated statement, ‘Our forest, our lands, our xatras, our agriculture field; we’re going all-out to ensure that only legitimate Indian citizens enjoy the joy of being in Assam.’

The general secretary of the Tai Ahom Yuva Parishad, Assam (TAYPA), Gunakanta Gogoi, said that the eviction drive being carried out by the Assam government is a welcome development, as it will certainly have its impact on the avowed mission of the state government—the preservation of jaati, maati, and bheti—apart from protecting the rights of tribal people in the state.

Speaking to The Sentinel, Gogoi said, “At long last, a chief minister of the state has dared to take such an eviction drive with determination. We welcome the move. We, however, want to add that only eviction of illegal immigrants is not the end of the problem. They have to be deported from the state. Following this, the state government will have to secure the political future and rights over lands of the indigenous and tribal people of the state, if need be, by enacting required laws. We want the declaration of Assam as a tribal state; that itself will solve many of the problems. We’ve witnessed the massive demographic change in lower Assam.”

Gogoi added, “The government is playing its role. Now, we need to make the public aware of the consequences of encroachment on forests and other lands in the state. We’ve already started public meetings at a few places. We appeal to the common people to inform the police if they see any people of doubtful nationalities encroaching upon lands in their nearby areas. We also appeal to the common people not to provide shelter to any people of doubtful nationalities. The local MLAs and gaon panchayats also need to remain alert if there are encroachments in their respective constituencies.”

Gogoi further said, “Eviction and deportation of the evicted people will not put an end to the problem. The youth of the state need to inculcate work culture. We’ve devised a roadmap to engage our youth in the state by honing their skill sets. The state has vast opportunities for earning money from selling vegetables to getting engaged as construction workers. We’ll help the government create a congenial work culture in the state so as to bring back a large number of unskilled youth of the state now engaged in various types of work in other states of the country.”

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