Himanta rules out eviction on tribal belts, blocks in BTR area

GUWAHATI: Assam finance and education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said there will be no eviction on tribal belt land and blocks in Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) area of Assam.

Dismissing reported move of the Assam government and BTR administration to carry out eviction, Sarma said in Chirang: “Don’t pay attention to rumours. There is no eviction going to take place in BTR. We are issuing land documents to the indigenous landless people. BTC (Bodoland Territorial Council) chief Pramod Boro has told me at least 1 lakh beneficiaries will be awarded land rights in BTR over the next few weeks and they are working on it.”

The minister’s declaration was in stark contrast with Gauhati High Court’s order to evict encroachers from the tribal belt land and blocks in BTR area. The ruling was given on the basis of a PIL filed by one Pradyut Borah.

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“There are some people who do not have any work to do. They keep on wasting time of the court,” Sarma, who was in Chirang to lay foundation of a government college, added.

The minister further said apart from Kokrajhar where there was a government college in the past, the Assam government was going to open government colleges in all four districts of the BTR. “We are going to lay foundation of another college at Tamulpur this evening,” Sarma said.

He also said the Assam government has initiated moves for withdrawal of pending cases against National Democratic Front of Boroland leaders and cadres. “We have set up fast track courts for quick disposal of the cases. We have also applied to the court for withdrawal of cases against the NDFB members,” he said.