Guwahati: Assam govt on Saturday reclaimed more than 300 hectares of forest land across four reserve forests in Hojai, Nagaon and Golaghat districts, evicting over 500 families from protected areas in one of the biggest single-day anti-encroachment drives in recent months.The largest operation was conducted in Borpani Reserve Forest in Nagaon, where officials cleared more than 200 hectares of encroached land occupied by 336 families.Forest department officials said the families had migrated from neighbouring areas and settled in the reserve forest nearly 30 years ago.An eviction drive is scheduled to begin in neighbouring Lutumai Reserve Forest on Sunday, where around 600 families had occupied more than 300 hectares. Following a public notice issued by the forest department in Aug, nearly 90% of the families reportedly vacated the area ahead of the eviction drive, which is being carried out in compliance with court orders.A senior forest department official said around 300 families had been temporarily settled in Lutumai Reserve Forest in 1973 after being evicted from Kaki Reserve Forest in the erstwhile Nagaon district.“About 300 families in Lutumai RF were purely encroachers, though 300 were given settlement on a temporary basis. But following court orders, all are being evicted,” the official said, adding that all the families belonged to the minority Muslim community.In another operation, authorities reclaimed 70 hectares of illegally occupied land in Jamuna-Maudunga Reserve Forest in Hojai district. The drive led to the dismantling of 152 households, including 61 pucca and 126 kutcha structures, affecting around 1,000 residents living inside the protected forest area.“It is likely that families started settling inside the Jamuna Moudunga Reserved Forest in the early 1980s. They are from neighbouring villages mostly, which came under erstwhile Nagaon district with the purpose of doing agriculture inside the forest area,” a senior forest department official said.He said the settlements, comprising Muslim families, had existed inside the reserve forest for decades. Ahead of Saturday’s operation, residents removed their belongings and moved to revenue land outside the protected forest area.In Golaghat district, authorities reclaimed around 37 hectares of forest land in Doyang and Nambor South Reserve Forests on Saturday.In the Negheribeel area of Doyang Reserve Forest, officials cleared 35 hectares, evicting 59 families and demolishing 60 structures.In Nambor South Reserve Forest, around two hectares were cleared at two locations. The operation in Rajapukhuri led to the eviction of three families and the dismantling of three structures, while nine families were evicted and nine structures removed in the Gelajan area.
