Assam: Major eviction drive in Goalpara on cards, says Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on December 21 said that another major eviction drive will soon take place in the state's Goalpara district.

''Many bighas lands of forest are being encroached upon. Now, High Court has ordered to clear this land,'' Sarma said while speaking in the Assembly.

He further said that the BJP government will continue to carry out eviction exercises and there is no point in talking about it.

''We will not stop and we will clear forest and government land across the state as well as in Batadrava,'' he added.

Sarma said that Sattras like Batadrava represent the identity and culture of the Assamese people.

'' Be it a Hindu or Muslim, all people will have to vacate Sattra land. We request all to leave the encroached land or else we will do eviction there,'' he added.

Recently, in the presence of top officials of the district administration, people who occupied government land were evicted and houses built on such land were demolished with the help of excavators.

Meanwhile, All India United Democratic Front's (AIUDF) MLAs on December 20 staged a protest against government-initiated eviction in Assam's Nagaon district. 

It may be recalled that the Nagaon administration started the eviction drive at Shantijan market in Batadrava at 6 am on December 19. 

Subsequently, an eviction drive was carried out on 104 bighas of land in Daag no. 733 in Haidubi followed by Bhomoraguri Kismat. 

In these areas, the encroachers occupied the satra land and built permanent houses and dug huge ponds, and started breeding fish.

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