Guwahati | The Assam government is preparing to resume an eviction drive against 59 families living at No. 2 Negheribil along the Assam-Nagaland border after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Golaghat district administration and Forest Department to proceed.

A team of officials from the district administration and Forest Department visited the area on Sunday and served a final notice to the remaining families, directing them to vacate their homes by August 18. As part of preparations for the proposed eviction, officials numbered the houses and conducted a detailed survey of the area using drone cameras.

The Forest Department had earlier carried out an eviction drive against 205 families in No. 2 Negheribil. However, 59 families resisted the action and approached the Gauhati High Court before subsequently moving the Supreme Court.The families had secured a stay on the eviction proceedings while the matter remained under judicial consideration.

The Supreme Court has since ruled in favour of the Assam government, paving the way for the authorities to resume the eviction process, officials said. Following the court’s decision, the district administration issued notices directing the remaining families to vacate within the stipulated deadline. Officials indicated that if the families fail to comply, an eviction drive could be carried out after August 18.

The development comes amid renewed efforts by Assam and Nagaland to prevent their long-standing border dispute from escalating. Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati on July 29 to discuss inter-state relations, cooperation and proposed oil and gas exploration along the border.

Patton has maintained that border-related issues should be addressed through dialogue, joint action and coordination between the two states while respecting existing agreements, including the 1972 Interim Agreement.

Nagaland has also maintained that while it supports action against illegal encroachment, evictions and other activities in sensitive border areas should be undertaken in coordination with the administrations of both states to prevent fresh tensions along the disputed frontier.