GUWAHATI : The Assam government on December 26 announced a series of measures to address the violence in West Karbi Anglong and resolve the long-pending disputes over Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) and Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) land, following a tripartite meeting in Guwahati involving the state government, Karbi organisations and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC).

Briefing the media after the meeting, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said all stakeholders would jointly approach the Gauhati High Court to seek an early resolution of the VGR-PGR dispute. He said the government had also decided to shift all government offices located within PGR and VGR areas and immediately fence all vacant land to prevent fresh encroachment.

Sarma said a deforestation drive would be carried out in vacant reserve areas as an additional safeguard against illegal occupation. He further announced that trade licences illegally issued over the past five years would be cancelled, and eviction proceedings would be initiated against encroachers on various categories of government and departmental land, including irrigation department land.

The Chief Minister said the family of the person killed during the recent violence would be provided a government job, and police cases related to the agitation would be withdrawn. Another round of talks is scheduled for January 16 or 17 to address remaining concerns.

Sarma also pointed to a key procedural lapse, saying the KAAC had failed to file its affidavit before the Gauhati High Court for the past two years, delaying judicial resolution of the issue.

He said the council has now been directed to file the affidavit by January 5 to remove legal uncertainty. Expressing optimism, Sarma said the government stood with the people of Karbi Anglong and was committed to resolving the issue amicably.

Karbi leader Litsong Rongphor, who participated in the meeting, said the situation in Karbi Anglong had become extremely critical due to recent violence and alleged atrocities. He said the government had agreed to cancel all trade licences issued after 1951 and to evict outsiders occupying departmental, tribal and council-controlled land.

Rongphor said eviction notices would be issued immediately in PGR and VGR areas, all vacant land would be fenced, and an afforestation programme would be launched. He added that encroachments on departmental land, including irrigation land in Bokolia, land belonging to a girls’ school and sericulture land in West Karbi Anglong, would be cleared after lease details are submitted to the state government and the council.

However, Rongphor clarified that the December 26 meeting was not final. He said Karbi organisations would consult the wider Karbi society before deciding whether they were satisfied with the outcome, warning that further action could follow if decisions were not implemented effectively.

He also criticised what he described as prolonged government inaction and law-and-order failures, saying repeated memoranda and petitions over the years had gone unaddressed, leading to mounting public anger and the recent unrest.

Security officials said the situation in West Karbi Anglong remains sensitive, with forces maintaining close vigil as the government begins implementing the decisions taken during the tripartite talks.