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Time of India

228 bighas of encroached land cleared in Lakhimpur

1 2 Dibrugarh: In one of the largest anti-encroachment drives in recent years, the Lakhimpur district administration on Thursday demolished 218 illegal homes and cleared 288 bighas of encroached land across three Village Grazing Reserves (VGRs). The eviction drive, which was conducted under the supervision of district commissioner (DC) Pronab Jit Kakoty and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gunendra Deka, saw a massive deployment of police and paramilitary forces, along with 12 excavators, at Phukanarhat, Debera Doloni and Christian VGR areas. "The drive was conducted peacefully and no untoward incidents were reported. We had adequate security arrangements to prevent any law and order situation," Deka said. While the eviction drive was carried out under the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886, the encroachers were served notices weeks in advance, with June 29 being the last date to vacate the VGR land. "The occupants failed to produce any legal documents. We granted had them an additional three-day grace period to vacate the land and remove their belongings. They took away all their belongings and today (Thursday) we demolished all their illegal structures," Kakoty said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Забрави климатика – това е най-доброто решение срещу жегата Coolbox Научете повече Undo The drive aligns with a Supreme Court directive, mandating that all Village Grazing Reserves (VGR) and Professional Grazing Reserves (PGR) should be encroachment-free. These reserves play a crucial role in supporting rural livelihoods, providing grazing areas for livestock owned by villagers, along with access to resources like firewood and fodder. "Our goal is to restore these grazing reserves for their intended purposes and support local livestock, while preventing environmental degradation. We will also ensure that no further illegal occupation occurs. We intend to carry out plantation in the cleared land. Boundary posts will be erected to secure the area," the DC added. VGRs play a crucial role in rural economies, particularly for farmers and cattle-rearers. However, unchecked encroachment over the years has led to legal disputes and ecological concerns.