Himanta’s warning lands hard: “Bamboo, Hollong, Simul — Sabka Badla Lega JCB,” as 1,441 structures fall in Nagaon

A massive eviction drive continued for the second consecutive day at Lutumari Reserve Forest in Assam, where state authorities deployed heavy machinery to clear extensive forest encroachments. 

On November 29, excavators, including JCBs, dismantled 1,441 illegal structures spread across the reserve, marking one of the largest anti-encroachment operations in the area in recent years.

According to officials overseeing the exercise, the drive was conducted smoothly with no major resistance from occupants. The operation aims to reclaim forest land that has been under pressure due to expanding settlements and betel-nut cultivation. 

The Forest Department and district administration jointly supervised the clearing process, ensuring security personnel were stationed throughout the zone.

The authorities confirmed that the exercise will continue on Saturday to remove the remaining 13 structures and several betel-nut orchards still standing within the reserve’s boundaries. “This is part of a sustained effort to protect and restore forest land. Illegal settlements cannot be permitted in notified reserve areas,” an official said.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has repeatedly emphasised zero tolerance toward encroachments in forest and government land, framing such drives as essential to conservation and law enforcement. The Lutumari operation is the latest in a series of actions taken across the state under the banner of safeguarding ecological zones.

With the majority of the illegal structures razed in a single day, the administration is expected to conclude the operation on Saturday, completing the full eviction of the encroached sections of Lutumari Reserve Forest.