Assam: Eviction drive begins in Dhubri's Alomganj, 80 per cent residents vacate ahead of operation

An eviction operation began at 6 am on Sunday, November 1, in Alomganj Ninth Block of Assam's Dhubri district, with a heavy deployment of police personnel to maintain law and order as the administration moved to clear government land.

District administration officials and Lat Mandals were assigned to different sectors to supervise the exercise, which is being carried out under tight security arrangements.

Deputy Commissioner Dibakar Nath said the operation covers around 650 bighas of government land, out of a total 800 bighas. Nearly 550 families, with an estimated population of 4,000, had been living in the area.

Nath said the eviction followed a lengthy administrative process involving hearings and the issuance of speaking orders. The residents were given one month's time to vacate the land before the administration proceeded with the operation.

He said a significant number of families had already moved out, taking their belongings with them ahead of the eviction. According to the Deputy Commissioner, nearly 80 per cent of the residents had vacated the area before the drive began.

However, some families have not left their homes after approaching the court to challenge the eviction and seek legal relief. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for November 13, after which further decisions concerning these families are expected.

The operation comes after days of uncertainty among residents of Alomganj, who had been preparing for eviction following the administration's announcement of a drive covering around 2,850 bighas of government land on October 31.

Ahead of the proposed operation, the Dhubri district administration had completed its preparations and asked alleged encroachers to vacate the land. Several families had reportedly begun dismantling their houses and shifting their belongings in anticipation of the drive.

The impending eviction had triggered anxiety among residents, with several families appealing to the government for alternative accommodation and rehabilitation. Some claimed they had purchased the land from private individuals and were unaware that it was government property.

"We are not Bangladeshi nationals. We were born here, and our grandparents lived and died here. We purchased the land from certain individuals. We did not know it was government land," some residents had told the media.

The administration, meanwhile, maintained that the land belonged to the government and that the eviction would be carried out in accordance with the law. Officials had urged residents to vacate the area voluntarily and cooperate with the authorities.

With several families already displaced and others seeking judicial intervention, questions over alternative accommodation and the future of those affected remain.