Himanta: Non-tribals on forest land will be evicted — period
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Guwahati: Amid Assam's most aggressive land reclamation drive to date, chief minister
Himanta Biswa Sarma
said he has ordered a sweeping crackdown on forest encroachments across all districts of the state.
He said here on Friday that all district commissioners have been tasked with conducting immediate surveys and initiating evictions, sparing only those protected under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006). The directive is clear—enforce the law and reclaim the land.
"Tribal communities who lived in forests before 2005 are protected under law.
Everyone else will be evicted, period," Sarma said here on Friday, adding that the scale of encroachment is staggering. "Even at one eviction per month, it will take a decade to reclaim the land," he added.
Since May 2021, when Sarma's government came to power, over 1.19 lakh bighas (approximately 160 sq km) of land has been cleared, evicting nearly 50,000 people. This includes 84,743 bighas (113 sq km) of forest land and 26,713 bighas (35.6 sq km) of general government ('khas') land.
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Despite this, an alarming 63 lakh bighas (8400 sq km) — including 29 lakh bighas (3866 sq km) of forest land — remain under illegal occupation.
On Thursday, the government carried out its largest single eviction yet, clearing 3,305.78 acres in Uriamghat, Golaghat district, along the Assam-Nagaland border. The ongoing operation targets the Rengma Reserve Forest, aiming to clear 1,500 hectares currently occupied by nearly 1,500 families, primarily Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Many of them claim displacement from riverine 'char' areas due to erosion by the Brahmaputra.
The eviction entered its fourth straight day on Friday across six villages, with no reports of violence. But the message from Dispur is clear, unauthorised settlement—regardless of community—is not negotiable.
Sarma has reiterated that the drive will also extend to village grazing reserves (VGR), professional grazing reserves (PGR), satras, namghars, and other public lands. "This is about reclaiming Assam's land, restoring ecological balance, and enforcing the rule of law," he said.
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