Government to carry out another round of eviction drive in Assam's Rengma Reserve Forest

Guwahati (Assam) [India], August 18 (ANI): The Assam government will carry out another round of eviction in the Rengma Reserve Forest, Uriumghat in Assam's Golaghat district on Monday, covering nearly 2,500 bighas (827 acres) of land.
The district administration of Golaghat district has made all arrangements for the eviction drive.
Recently, the administration carried out a massive eviction drive in the Uriamghat area, freeing over 10,000 bighas of forest land that had been encroached upon. Many houses and structures were also found to have been illegally constructed on these forest lands.
Earlier on Sunday, the district administration of Biswanath district carried out another eviction drive in the district.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a post on X, wrote, "Another round of eviction in the Rengma Reserve Forest, Uriumghat, covering nearly 2,500 bighas ( 827 acres ) of land will be carried out tomorrow. Today, the eviction drive in Biswanath has also been nearly completed. We are securing our Forest and grazing land for future generations."
The Assam government has so far freed over 1.29 lakh bighas of government, forest lands, VGR/PGR lands across the state.
Prior to this, the first phase of the large-scale eviction drive in the Rengma Reserve Forest concluded successfully on August 2, with final operations carried out seamlessly in Bidyapur and 2 No. Madhupur, a release said.
The day's activities remained peaceful and without resistance. As per the release, over five days, vast stretches of encroached forest land have been reclaimed, with illegal structures dismantled across key high-density zones including Bidyapur, Pithaghat, Sonaribeel, Doyalpur, Dolonipathar, Kherbari, Anandapur, and Madhupur.
Briefing the media, Special Chief Secretary Yadav stated that the ongoing operation has so far cleared approximately 8,900 bighas of protected forest land and dismantled over 4,000 unauthorised structures.
Sarupathar MLA, Biswajit Phukan, expressing appreciation for the coordinated efforts, thanked the Chief Minister, Special Chief Secretary, District Administration, and the Government of Nagaland.
He further highlighted the potential of the Rengma Reserve Forest as a future eco-tourism destination. He emphasised that such drives are essential to curb illegal activities and ensure long-term ecological and administrative benefits for Assam.
District Commissioner Pulak Mahanta credited the smooth execution of the drive to meticulous field-level planning and the collaborative efforts of all departments involved. He underlined the importance of continuous on-ground monitoring in ensuring the overall success of the operation.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Golaghat, Rajen Singh, praised the Assam Police and CRPF for maintaining law and order throughout the drive. (ANI)