Guwahati: The eviction drive to clear the Luturmari Reserve Forest, spanning about 6,000 bighas of land in Nagaon district, continued for the second day without resistance. Sharing a video of the drive on X, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote, “Bamboo ka, Hollong ka, Simul ka — Sabka badla lega tera JCB!”Hollong is the state tree of Assam, while Simul is commonly known as the cotton tree. Officials said the entire forest had been encroached upon.The drive to reclaim the Luturmari Reserve Forest began on Saturday after illegal settlers were given three months to harvest their crops and vacate the land, allowing them to safely remove their belongings.“This is the largest eviction drive and is being carried out with a humanitarian attitude. We gave them three months after serving notices. We even asked the settlers to take anything they wanted before demolishing the structures on Saturday and Sunday. Many of them demolished the structures themselves and took away the bricks,” said Nagaon district commissioner Devasish Sharma.He added that the eviction has been peaceful so far, with no resistance. “One more day is required to finish some remaining work, including the destruction of certain crops. Otherwise, the demolition of the structures is complete,” he said. Over 400 pucca and more than 900 kuccha units out of 1,548 houses were demolished.Around 8,000 people (about 1,700 families) had been illegally occupying the forest land. The eviction drive is being carried out in Bedetipar, Sankhula, Jurirpar, and Kendapara villages within the Luturmari Reserve Forest. District administration sources said evicted families are now taking shelter in rented accommodations, relatives’ houses, and camps in nearby revenue villages.Although the govt has claimed the area was encroached upon, senior officials said the settlements included houses built under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin, water connections under Jal Jeevan Mission, anganwadi centres, govt schools under Sarba Siksha Abhiyan, a sub-health centre under the National Health Mission, and electricity connections to almost every household, along with markets and mosques.Since the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led govt came to power in 2021, it has carried out a series of eviction drives to clear land from alleged encroachments, mostly involving the Bengali-speaking Muslim population. On Nov 3, the CM asserted that eviction drives will continue.As per govt records, over 1.29 lakh bighas (42,500 acres) of govt and forest land have been cleared of encroachment in the last four years, while around 29 lakh bighas (more than 9.5 lakh acres) remain under encroachment in the state.
