Assam: Pabho Forest area loss facing farmers seek compensation 

Farmers in Pabho Forest area sought compensation from the state government over destruction of their crops.

Farmers cultivated rabi crops like mustered among others in Pabho forest area and they are of the view that authorities destroyed the crops without prior notice.

The farmers mainly belonged to the Missing and Deuri community.
The farmers rued the fact that they had applied to the authorities seeking only a month's time, but the authorities did not pay any heed to their applications.

Moreover, holding placards with slogans in their hands, the protesters raised anti-government slogans.
Earlier, an eviction drive to clear around 450 hectares of forest land from encroachers took place in Assam's Lakhimpur district on January 10.

As per reports, out of 2,560.25 hectares of Pabho reserved forest, only 29 hectares are currently free of any encroachment, and as many as 10, 500 hectares in Adhasona and Mohghuli villages will be cleared, officials had said.

Also read: Assam CM shares photos of rhinos freely roaming around the Pabho Reserve Forest, days after eviction drive - Assam CM shares photos of rhinos freely roaming around the Pabho Reserve Forest, days after eviction drive - (indiatodayne.in)

Around 701 families had encroached upon the Pabho reserved forest land over the last decades and the illegal settlers include from different parts of the state as well as locals displaced due to flood and erosion.

''Today we are carrying out the eviction drive. However, we have been preparing for the last six days. During these six days, we arranged the machinery required for the eviction drive. We left Lakhimpur for the place where eviction is to be done at around 3:30 in the morning with JCBs and all,' a police officer had said while speaking to the media.  

However, about 80 families had already left the villages and another 100 are still living in the place the administration had requested people still living there leave peacefully.

The locals had appealed to the administration, not to carry out an eviction drive.  
''The government administration has only informed Muslims about the eviction drive. There are also many Hindus who are encroaching. But the administration has not taken any action against them,'' the illegal encroachers had alleged.