Assam frees 45,950 acres from encroachers: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Thursday that the state government had cleared 3,305.78 acres of encroached land in the latest phase of its ongoing eviction drive in Uriamghat, Golaghat district. 

With this, the total area of land freed from encroachment has reached 45,950 acres.

Addressing a press conference, CM Sarma emphasised the significance of the operation, stating, “Prior to this eviction, we had freed 42,644.57 acres from encroachers. The Uriamghat drive adds another major milestone to our efforts.”

The Chief Minister also expressed gratitude to Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, as well as Nagaland Police and the CRPF for maintaining neutrality in the Disputed Area Belt (DAB) during the operation. “Their cooperation was instrumental in ensuring the success of this eviction drive,” Sarma added.

Responding sharply to calls by certain evicted individuals for a separate ‘Miyaland,’ Sarma retorted, “I have no objection to the idea of Miyaland, but it should be in Bangladesh — not in Assam. We can even assist them in that.” Taking the jibe further, he added, “There is enough land in Bangladesh, and if that doesn’t work, then maybe in Afghanistan.”

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Turning to the issue of settlements in Guwahati's forest land, Sarma clarified that a survey is underway to assess how long non-indigenous people have been residing in these areas. “The survey is strictly for non-indigenous people and has nothing to do with religion. It is to verify whether they have been living there for three generations,” he said.

He assured that the indigenous population would not be affected and would be covered under the third phase of the state’s flagship land rights initiative, ‘Mission Basundhara’. “We have no plans to evict indigenous people. This survey will be confined to forest land and not revenue land,” Sarma concluded.

The government’s firm stance on encroachment and demographic balance continues to remain central to its administrative and political strategy in Assam.