Assam resumes eviction drive in Jamuna-Maudanga Reserve Forest, 152 families affected

The eviction drive in Assam’s Jamuna-Maudanga Reserved Forest resumed on Saturday, with the district administration and Forest Department targeting 152 families and seeking to reclaim around 525 bighas of allegedly encroached forest land in the Doboka area.

Around 12 bulldozers have been deployed for the operation. Ahead of the drive, officials used loudspeakers on Friday to ask the affected residents to vacate their houses. Some families reportedly began leaving their homes overnight following the announcement.

The latest operation follows an eviction drive conducted in the reserved forest in January this year, during which the administration evicted 1,098 families and reclaimed around 700 hectares of land.

However, 152 families had approached the court after the January operation and obtained temporary relief from eviction. Their houses remained in the forest area while the matter was under consideration.

With the latest operation, the administration and the Forest Department are seeking to clear the remaining encroachments and reclaim the land identified for eviction.

The authorities had issued a public announcement on Friday, directing the affected families to vacate their houses before the operation began on Saturday. The drive subsequently resumed as planned.