The eviction at Damcherra is part of a larger state-wide campaign to clear forest, government and reserve land of alleged illegal encroachment
KRC TIMES Assam Bureau
Hailakandi : The eviction drive at Damcherra under the Gharmura forest range along the Assam-Mizoram border has cleared 912 bighas of alleged encroached land in just two days, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday.
In a post on social media, Sarma said the reclaimed area in Hailakandi district was “bigger than the campus of IIT Guwahati,” underlining the scale of the operation and the state government’s determination to reclaim encroached land. He added that the drive reflected the government’s commitment to protecting Assam’s land and forest resources.
The eviction at Damcherra is part of a larger state-wide campaign to clear forest, government and reserve land of alleged illegal encroachment. The Chief Minister has repeatedly stated that the initiative is aimed at preserving ecological balance and safeguarding the state’s indigenous identity.
Officials said the eviction drive, which is scheduled to continue till February 4, initially affected 522 families. However, several households vacated the area voluntarily ahead of the operation, bringing the number of affected families down to 516.
The first phase of the operation, which began on February 2, focused on the removal of betel nut plantations from the reserved forest land. The eviction zone, covering six forest villages, has been divided into seven sectors to facilitate smooth execution of the drive.
On Monday, excavators were deployed in sectors 5, 6 and 7, where large tracts of alleged encroached land were cleared. On Tuesday, eviction activities were carried out in sectors 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Divisional Forest Officer (Hailakandi) Akhil Dutta said the operation was nearing completion. “If anything remains, it will be completed on the third day after discussions,” he said.
Earlier, the Chief Minister had stated that between 2021 and 2025, the Assam government reclaimed over 1,19,548 bighas – around 160 square kilometres – of land from alleged illegal settlers as part of its ongoing eviction and land reclamation drive.
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