Congress allowed encroachment on 30 lakh bighas of forest land in Assam, alleges Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday, February 19, alleged that the Congress had allowed encroachment on nearly 30 lakh bighas of forest land during its tenure in the state.

Delivering his last speech in the outgoing Assam Legislative Assembly, Sarma said that eviction drives undertaken by the present government have so far cleared encroachments from around 1.5 lakh bighas of forest land.

“The Congress left 30 lakh bighas of forest land (almost 10 lakh acres) for encroachment. We have carried out eviction from 1.5 lakh bighas,” he said.

The Chief Minister further stated that no houses belonging to tribal families were demolished during the eviction drives and that land pattas have been provided to them.

Referring to other governance challenges, Sarma said the government is addressing multiple issues, including maternal mortality rate (MMR), infant mortality rate (IMR), child marriage, polygamy, and corruption.

The Assam Assembly elections are due to be held in the coming months.