Fifth Day of Eviction Drive Sees Major Reclamation at Roumari–Moiradhaj Wetland

Nagaon: The fifth day of the eviction process in the Roumari-Moiradhaj-Magurmari wetland, falling under the Dhing Revenue Circle, marked breakthroughs on Saturday, with the Nagaon district authority embarking on a massive eviction process in a bid to retrieve the encroached government, forest, and water resources.

This eviction operation was also a part of the ongoing initiative undertaken by the Assam Government for protecting public land and natural resources, and it was initiated at 8:00 am with the aim of removing the unauthorised fishponds and enormous embankments built on the state-owned wetland. The encroachment on this site had been carried out by encroachers for several years and had altered the natural ecological balance by using the wetland for their personal ponds for fishing activities.

The government reported that those illegal constructions not only disrupted the biodiversity in the wetlands, as the environment was meant to be in its natural state, and in addition, the man-made embankment walls also led to frequent waterlogging and floods in the nearby villages.

On the fifth day of the operation, the deployment of excavators and heavy earth-moving machines has seen the demolition of embankments and the filling of illegal fish enclosures to allow the free flow of water in the wetland. Every day that passes means that the reclaimed lands are being restored to their normal state, ensuring the government’s dedication to the preservation of the environment.

The process was being done very peacefully and in a thoroughly coordinated manner, with a strong police presence being deployed across the eviction area to avoid any untoward situation. Officials of the district administration, police, and the Dhing Revenue Circle were also present on the field to monitor and facilitate the successful conduct of the eviction process.

The eviction aims to clear the entire wetland of illegal encroachments, as reported. The authorities have reiterated that no illegal occupation of any piece of land owned by the government will be tolerated, and this will happen in other places in the district where there are also cases of encroachments.

Through an official press statement, the District Information and Public Relations Officer (DIPRO) explained that this eviction exercise is one of the measures of the larger state policy aimed at securing lands, wetlands, and forests from illegal occupation. This can be attributed to the vital role that wetlands, for instance, play in assisting in flood control, recharge of groundwater, as well as the preservation of biodiversity.

The move has been welcomed by the local communities, with many of them hoping that the revival of the wetland will solve the flooding issues that hamper agricultural productivity. Although the eviction process is now in its latter stages, the Nagaon district administration has reiterated its commitment to achieving a balanced approach where development is accomplished without compromising the preservation of nature.

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