Forest land eviction drive to begin soon in Goalpara, says Assam minister Jayanta Malla Baruah

Assam Finance and Forest Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah on July 20 announced that the state government will soon launch a major eviction drive to clear encroachments from forest land in Goalpara district, saying the initiative is aimed at protecting indigenous interests, restoring wildlife habitats and reducing human-animal conflict.

The minister, who is also the Guardian Minister of Goalpara district, visited the district as part of a day-long tour. He first inspected the proposed Nalbari Reserved Forest under the Lakhipur Forest Range before reviewing several encroached forest areas under the Lakhipur division.

Speaking to reporters after the inspection, Baruah said a large-scale eviction drive would be undertaken shortly to reclaim encroached forest land across all four forest ranges in Goalpara district.

"The objective of the eviction drive is to protect forest land, safeguard the interests of the indigenous people, and restore the natural habitat of wildlife," the minister said.

He noted that rampant encroachment has severely disrupted the natural movement of elephants and other wild animals, leading to a steady rise in human-elephant conflict in the district. Reclaiming forest land, he said, is essential to restoring ecological balance and reducing such conflicts.

The minister also announced that the Assam government plans to plant one crore saplings across the state before Independence Day as part of its afforestation drive.

Commenting on the prevailing flood situation, Baruah said the recent cloudburst in neighbouring Nagaland had triggered severe flooding in several districts of Assam.

He assured that the state government is maintaining constant vigilance to ensure that no flood-affected person is deprived of relief assistance.

"The government is closely monitoring the flood situation and is committed to ensuring that adequate relief reaches every affected district and every flood-hit family," Baruah said.

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Assam Flood: NFR to run special trains for stranded passengers after Simaluguri rail services suspended

In view of severe flooding in and around Simaluguri town in Assam's Sivasagar district, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has announced special train services to assist passengers stranded due to widespread disruption of rail traffic.

According to an official statement issued by the Chief Public Relations Officer, NFR, train services between the Simaluguri–Namti Ali and Simaluguri–Selenghat sections under the Tinsukia Division have been suspended in the interest of passenger safety and operational requirements.

As a result, several long-distance trains to and from Dibrugarh and Tinsukia have been diverted via the Rangiya–Rangapara–Dibrugarh route. A number of local passenger and express trains have also been cancelled, while some services have been short-terminated or short-originated.

To minimise inconvenience to passengers, NFR has decided to operate the following special trains:

Train No. 05959 (Mariani–Dibrugarh) One-Way Special will depart from Mariani at 8 pm on July 20 and reach Dibrugarh at 3 pm on July 21. The train will halt at all stations along the route.

Another special train service will operate between Rangiya and Mariani Junction from July 21 to July 24. Train No. 05832 (Rangiya–Mariani Jn.) will leave Rangiya at 7.20 am and arrive at Mariani at 5 pm the same day. The return service, Train No. 05831 (Mariani Jn.–Rangiya), will depart Mariani at 6 pm and reach Rangiya at 3.20 am the following day.

The Rangiya–Mariani special trains will stop at Changsari, Kamakhya, Guwahati, Thakurkuchi, Digaru, Jagiroad, Chaparmukh, Kampur, Hojai, Lanka, Lumding, Diphu, Dimapur, Bokajan, Sarupathar, Furkating and Titabar in both directions.

NFR said the additional special trains are expected to provide significant relief to passengers affected by the suspension of services caused by the flood situation in Upper Assam.