GUWAHATI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday reiterated his government’s resolve to remove illegal settlers and suspected Bangladeshis from encroached land.
The chief minister’s remarks came during his visit to Darrang district’s Garakhuti area from where the Bharatiya Janata Party government initiated the eviction drive in September 2021. Sarma said the authorities had cleared 42,000 acres of encroached government land and reserve forests of illegal settlers in the last four years.
“The successful eviction at Gorukhuti was the beginning. With this eviction drive, we had taken a pledge and started a drive to remove other illegal settlers from encroached lands,” Sarma said.
“The drive at Gorkhuti had emboldened us and we took steps to carry out other such evictions. Later we carried out evictions at Borsola, Lumding, Burhapahar, Pobha, Batadraba (Vaishnavite monastery) and Chapar and Paikan (eviction drives carried out this month),” he added.
The eviction drive at Garukhuti hit the headlines on September 23, 2021 when two persons were killed in police firing and many others including nine policemen were injured in clashes between the evicted residents and security personnel.
The drive, which aimed to reclaim 25,000 acres from illegal settlers, led the government to start the Gorukhuti Project, an ambitious plan for agriculture and allied activities for indigenous people living in the area.
Sarma said that the government had removed illegal settlers from 1.29 lakh bighas (approximately 42,000 acres) of encroached land in four years and utilised this land for public benefit.
{{/usCountry}}Sarma said that the government had removed illegal settlers from 1.29 lakh bighas (approximately 42,000 acres) of encroached land in four years and utilised this land for public benefit.
{{/usCountry}}“At Orang (national park), we have created fresh habitat for one-horned rhinos and tigers, a solar plant has been set up at Borsola, elephants have returned to the (evicted land) at Lumding and human-elephant conflict has come down. fresh habitat for rhinos and tigers has been created at Burhapahahar, and the chopped Sal and Teak trees would return to Paikan,” he said.
He said that his government has pledged to free all encroached lands in Assam. “But the goal is still far away. You will be surprised that at present, 2.9 million bighas of land in Assam have been encroached by illegal settlers and suspected Bangladeshis. We have given new life and soul to the tasks left half-done by the martyrs of the Assam Agitation (against illegal Bangladeshis). We resolve to remove all encroached land of illegal Bangladeshis,” he said.
“We have a long battle ahead. I don’t think we will win it in a day or two. But I believe that we will fulfil our pledge (to remove illegal settlers from all encroached land). I promise to make Gorukhuti project a symbol of self-reliance of Assamese people,” he said.