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New Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Massive eviction drive launched in Assam's Golaghat; 15,000 people, mostly Muslims, affected
Contrary to government claims that the area was encroached, the demolished properties include houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), water connection under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), government schools under Sarba Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) and electricity connections to almost every household, besides markets, mosques, madrassas and churches, according to locals. The affected families questioned the rationale of the eviction drive and claimed that they were brought to the place by the earlier governments to protect the area from the alleged invasion of Nagaland. "Where will we go from here? My father had come from Nagaon district around 40 years ago, but I was born here. We were brought here during the 1980s to protect the forest land from encroachment from Nagaland," said Ali Kazi, who also received an eviction notice. He claimed that most of the alleged encroachers' previous generation was settled in the forest area by the Janata Party government, headed by ex-CM Golap Borbora, in 1978-79 and the first AGP government, which came to power in 1985. Notably, the assembly was informed in March that almost 83,000 hectares of land belonging to Assam were being occupied by four neighbouring states. It was also stated that Nagaland captured the highest amount of land in Assam -- 59,490.21 hectares. Kazi claimed, "We have been cooperating with the authorities in this eviction drive. We requested them to settle us somewhere else, but they refused. We now have no option but to stay under tents. We are not even given drinking water; forget about food. It's very inhuman." Another eviction victim, Mamtaj Ali, asked, "If we were illegal settlers, how did we get electricity connections? Why did the government open schools and give us JJM connections? We were also given houses under PM Awas Yojana." When asked about these government infrastructure, a senior official of the forest department accepted that such facilities were provided by the authorities, and some of these installations were made even after 2016 when the BJP came to power for the first time in Assam. "I do not know why these were sanctioned and established in this area. These were made before I came here," he added. There were mosques and madrassa for people belonging to the Muslim community, while churches were set up by the Bodo people, the official said. Meanwhile, the Niki Sumi faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland viewed the eviction drive as a 'well-planned' move by the Assam government to grab the ancestral lands of the Nagas. The rebel group alleged that successive Assam governments encouraged the policy of settling 'illegal Bangladeshi immigrants' in the inter-state border areas with the alleged intention to grab the lands of the Nagas. The massive eviction drive followed Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's recent visit to Uriamghat. 'People of Assam are victims of the mass scale encroachment, demographic alteration and violence which is caused by illegal settlers. They are firmly behind our Govt in our crackdown against encroachment and realise the need to reclaim what's truly ours,' Sarma posted on X on July 29 Earlier this month, the Assam government had carried out major eviction drives in Lakhimpur, Goalpara and Dhubri districts which displaced thousands of Muslims. (With inputs from PTI)
New Indian Express
15 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Massive eviction drive underway in Assam's Golaghat; over 1500 Muslim families to be affected
"Where will we go from here? My father had come from Nagaon district around 40 years ago, but I was born here. We were brought here during the 1980s to protect the forest land from encroachment from Nagaland," said Ali Kazi, who also received an eviction notice. He claimed that most of the alleged encroachers' previous generation was settled in the forest area by the Janata Party government, headed by ex-CM Golap Borbora, in 1978-79 and the first AGP government, which came to power in 1985. Notably, the assembly was informed in March that almost 83,000 hectares of land belonging to Assam were being occupied by four neighbouring states. It was also stated that Nagaland captured the highest amount of land in Assam -- 59,490.21 hectares. Kazi claimed, "We have been cooperating with the authorities in this eviction drive. We requested them to settle us somewhere else, but they refused. We now have no option but to stay under tents. We are not even given drinking water; forget about food. It's very inhuman." Another eviction victim, Mamtaj Ali, asked, "If we were illegal settlers, how did we get electricity connections? Why did the government open schools and give us JJM connections? We were also given houses under PM Awas Yojana." When asked about these government infrastructure, a senior official of the forest department accepted that such facilities were provided by the authorities, and some of these installations were made even after 2016 when the BJP came to power for the first time in Assam. "I do not know why these were sanctioned and established in this area. These were made before I came here," he added. There were mosques and madrassa for people belonging to the Muslim community, while churches were set up by the Bodo people, the official said. For carrying out the eviction drive across 12 villages, the authorities divided the entire area into nine zones and conducted a survey accordingly, he added. "An extensive land survey of around 30 villages of the Rengma Reserve Forest was done.
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Business Standard
20 hours ago
- General
- Business Standard
Assam govt starts drive to clear encroachment on 3,600 acres of forest land
The families whose houses are being demolished belong to the Muslim community, while those having FRC certificates are from Bodo, Nepali and other communities, locals claimed Press Trust of India Golaghat (Assam) The Assam government on Tuesday began a massive eviction drive to clear alleged encroachment on over 3,600 acres of forest land in Golaghat district, officials said. The move by the state government will affect at least 1,500 families, they said. Several senior officials of the Golaghat district administration and the forest department told PTI that the eviction drive started in the morning to clear the alleged encroachment on almost 11,000 bighas (over 3,600 acres) of land of Rengma Reserve Forest in Uriamghat along the Assam-Nagaland border in Sarupathar sub-division. "The eviction drive started from the main market in the Bidyapur area. We will gradually proceed to residential areas and demolish the illegal housing structures," an official said. He claimed that around 10,500 bighas to 11,000 bighas of land were encroached upon by the people. "Around 2,000 families are living in those areas. Out of them, notices were served to about 1,500 families, who illegally settled here. The remaining families are forest dwellers and have certificates from the Forest Rights Committee (FRC)," the official said. The families whose houses are being demolished belong to the Muslim community, while those having FRC certificates are from Bodo, Nepali and other communities, locals claimed. "Around 80 per cent of the families who had received notices have already vacated their illegal settlements in the last few days. We are only demolishing their homes," the official added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Over 1,000 cops deployed ahead of next eviction drive in Assam, 2,000 families likely to be affected
The Assam government is gearing up to conduct one of its most high-decibel eviction exercises yet Tuesday, which is likely to affect more than 2,000 families in Eastern Assam's Golaghat district. Officials estimate that around 15,000 bighas (around 4900 acres) of land in the Rengma Reserve Forest in the Uriamghat area of Golaghat district in which around 2,700 families – mostly Bengali-origin Muslims — had been residing will be cleared of encroachment over two phases. The first phase, which will affect around 2,000 families, will be conducted Tuesday. 'The forest department has divided the area into nine blocks and the residents have been given notices to vacate the area in seven days. In preparation for the eviction, more than 1,500 forces including police, commandos and forest protection personnel have been deployed there,' said a district official. This will be the latest in a spate of evictions in the state, mostly affecting Bengali-origin Muslims, which the Assam government has called a means to stem 'demographic invasion' by 'people of one religion'. The Uriamghat eviction in particular has seen a two-week long campaign, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, leading up to it with him holding it up as a prime case of Bengali Muslims from Central and Western Assam – where their population is concentrated – moving into Eastern Assam, which he has been declaring needs to be protected from 'demographic invasion'. He has stated that encroachers have cleared forests in this area for widespread betel nut cultivation. 'More than 90% of the people have already cleared their possessions and left. Apart from Bengali Muslims, 42 Manipuri Muslim and 92 Nepali families have also been asked to evacuate from the area,' BJP's Sarupathat MLA Biswajit Phukan, in whose constituency the eviction will take place, told The Indian Express on accusations of the eviction being a targeted exercise. He went on to say: 'There are 150 Bodo families who also live, but they will not be evicted since they have forest rights certificates in line with the 2006 Forest Rights Act. Representatives from the All Assam Minority Students Union also met the Chief Minister when he visited the site last week and the government will consider giving lawful compensation if there are families who were there before 1971, but first the eviction will have to be done'. In anticipation of the eviction, the Nagaland government has also gone into high alert in the past week. The affected area is located along the Assam-Nagaland border and the Nagaland government has stationed police and district administration personnel along the border in a bid to prevent evicted people from entering the state. On Sunday, the Niki Sumi faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang), added another layer to the matter by issuing a statement alleging that the eviction is being used by the Assam government for a 'well-planned and precisely executed plan' to 'occupy' and permanently station police personnel on disputed land along the inter-state border.
Time of India
a day ago
- General
- Time of India
From crisis to conservation: The inspiring revival of Manas National Park
1 2 Guwahati: Manas National Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site, stands as a shining beacon of what can be achieved through dedicated, science-driven, and community-focused conservation efforts. Once teetering on the edge of wildlife collapse, this park has transformed into a thriving habitat for tigers, serving as a global symbol of hope, resilience, and the responsible care of our natural world. Nestled in the Chirang and Baksa districts of western Assam, Manas shares its borders with Bhutan. Back in 1972, the park boasted a robust tiger population of around 82. However, the park faced severe challenges due to militancy, poaching, forest encroachment, and habitat loss, which led to a dramatic decline in wildlife numbers. By 2010, the tiger population had dwindled to a mere eight, sparking fears of local extinction. In response to these ongoing threats, Unesco, which had recognized Manas as a World Heritage Site in 1985 for its extraordinary biodiversity and natural beauty, placed it on the List of World Heritage in Danger. This was a wake-up call, highlighting the risk of losing the very values that warranted its protection. By 2011, thanks to concerted efforts, Unesco removed Manas from the "in danger" list, applauding the park's remarkable recovery and the dedication invested in its restoration. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Newham: If You Were Born Between 1940-1975 You Could Be Eligible For This Life Cover Reassured Get Quote Undo C Ramesh, field director of the Tiger Project at Manas, expressed optimism about the park's journey, noting that it has become a national exemplar in tiger conservation. "From the top level in the govt, staff in the jungle to the community, it has been a collective effort over the decades for which Manas now has over 60 tigers," he said. Ramesh added that the key to this success lay in bolstering wildlife protection against poachers and encroachers, enhancing monitoring through both manual and technological means, and conducting regular surveys. The tiger conservation initiatives gained momentum following the Bodo Accord in Feb 2003, an agreement between the central and state governments and the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) to address the Bodo people's autonomy demands. Senior conservation biologist Dipankar Lahkar, assistant director of wildlife conservation NGO Aaranyak, highlighted the organization's relentless collaboration with the forest department in tiger conservation at Manas since 2010. "Manas has set a global example in tiger conservation since the historic commitment made by the leaders of 13 tiger range countries at The Tiger Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2010," he said. Lahkar added that Aaranyak provided rigorous training to Manas's forest staff in equipment handling, camera trapping, map reading, and data analysis from 2010 to 2021, enabling them to independently manage these tasks. He also pointed out that Manas's proximity to Bhutan's Royal Manas National Park facilitates the natural movement of tigers between the two regions. "During our continuous monitoring and analysis from 2010 to 2021, 24 tigers were captured on camera traps in both Manas in Assam and Royal Manas in Bhutan," he added. Discussing the factors behind the success in tiger conservation, Lahkar mentioned that an 85% recapture probability (the same tiger being spotted in a camera trap each year) was observed from 2010 to 2021, which is crucial for the growth of the tiger population. "We refer to these as resident tigers. The presence of more resident tigers in a forest increases the likelihood of a growing tiger population," he explained. Beyond the cessation of political violence and poaching, Lahkar highlighted the shift in social behavior among the people in and around Manas, driven by awareness campaigns, as a significant factor in the tiger population's resurgence. Around 2005, local community organizations, supported by park managers and the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), were established to protect Manas's sanctity, yielding positive results over time.
