Assam govt begins second phase of eviction in Rangma reserve forest, clears 26 hectares

The Assam government on Monday launched the second phase of its eviction drive in the Rangma reserve forest in Golaghat district, targeting illegal encroachments on nearly 26 hectares of land and displacing 41 families, an official statement said.

The first phase of the massive operation, conducted over five days in early August in Rengma within Uriamghat along the Assam-Nagaland inter-state boundary in Sarupathar sub-division, had cleared around 9,000 bighas (over 1,200 hectares) of encroached land, affecting approximately 1,500 families, predominantly from the Muslim community.

The second phase focused on encroachments in Haldibari. During the operation, authorities removed 41 households, demolished 65 illegal structures, and reclaimed nearly 26 hectares of notified forest land. The Forest Department, working in close coordination with the Golaghat district administration and Assam Police, carried out the exercise.

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“The action followed the issuance of due notices to the occupants and every step was executed in compliance with prevailing legal norms and environmental safeguards,” the administration said. The drive was closely monitored by senior officials, including Special Chief Secretary (Forest) M K Yadava, along with representatives from the Forest Department, CRPF, Assam Police, and district administration.

During the earlier phase, extensive drives across both the Rengma and Doyang reserve forests successfully reclaimed more than 1,400 hectares of protected forest land. In addition, the government had conducted an eviction drive earlier this month in Nambor South reserve forest, clearing nearly 1,000 bighas (over 133 hectares) of encroachments and displacing more than 350 families.

The Assam government emphasized that these initiatives are part of a sustained mission to restore encroached forest land, strengthen ecological security, and safeguard the integrity of reserved forests across the state.