Golaghat/ Raha, Oct 17: Excavators rolled into parts of Hojai, Nagaon and Golaghat districts as the administration carried out eviction drives on allegedly encroached land on Friday, demolishing hundreds of structures amid heightened security and renewed distress among affected families.
The operations covered the No. 2 Negheribil area along the Merapani border, parts of the Doyang and Nambor South reserve forests in Golaghat, Borpani and Lutimari in Nagaon, and the Jamuna-Maudanga Reserved Forest in Hojai.
In Golaghat, the second phase of the eviction drive at Negheribil brought the demolition process to completion, with the houses of the remaining 59 families pulled down.
In Hojai, authorities demolished 152 households and cleared around 525 bighas of land, while residents in Nagaon voiced distress over the loss of their homes and alleged inadequate time to salvage their belongings.
Negheribil eviction completed
At No. 2 Negheribil, the operation began early in the morning, with personnel from the district administration, Forest Department, police and CRPF deployed at the site.
The first phase of the eviction in July 2025 had covered nearly 50 acres, when the houses of 146 of the 205 families identified in the area were demolished.
The remaining 59 families had approached the court and secured temporary relief. The drive resumed after a subsequent court ruling in favour of the government.
Demolitions were also carried out in Gelajan and Rajapukhuri in the Sarupathar area, alongside operations in the Doyang and Nambor South reserve forests.
Golaghat Divisional Forest Officer Mukut Ch. Das said most families had already vacated the affected areas and that the operation was expected to be completed within a few hours.
“About 80% of the families have already left, and we expect the remaining families to vacate by the time the demolition is completed. The operation should take around three hours. We will continue patrolling to prevent people from returning and rebuilding houses on the land. Around 35 hectares of the Doyang Reserved Forest will be cleared,” Das said.
Golaghat Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Phukan said eviction operations were conducted in three areas. Around 60 houses were identified in the Doyang Reserved Forest, 12 in Nambor South, and approximately 60 across three villages in Negheribil.
In Gelajan and Rajapukhuri, three and nine houses, respectively, were demolished, taking the total number of houses demolished in the areas cited by the deputy commissioner to 72.
The operations were jointly conducted by the Forest Department, district administration and police, Phukan said.
Distress in Nagaon as homes are demolished
In Nagaon, eviction drives in Borpani and Lutimari, including areas within the Borpani Reserved Forest, left affected residents facing uncertainty over shelter and rehabilitation.
The Forest Department had earlier issued notices to 336 families occupying 216 hectares of land in the Dhansala area.
Several residents said they had lived in the area for years and alleged that they were not given sufficient time to remove their belongings before the demolitions.
“We are not illegal occupants; we purchased the land and have documents to prove it. Had we been given more time, we could have taken our tin sheets and built temporary shelters. Instead, everything has been destroyed,” one affected resident said.
Another resident said his family had been living on government land since 2001 and cultivating paddy on two bighas. He claimed the settlement had grown from around 400 houses to more than 1,000 over the years.
A resident from another affected area said families had received notices and approached the Gauhati High Court and subsequently the Supreme Court, but were still facing eviction.
The residents’ claims could not be independently verified from the information available.
152 households demolished in Hojai
In Hojai, the second phase of the eviction drive in the Jamuna-Maudanga Reserved Forest resulted in the demolition of 152 households and the clearance of approximately 525 bighas of land. The affected population was estimated at around 1,000.
According to Nayanjyoti Rajbongshi, DFO, South Nagaon Forest Division, the first phase, conducted on January 2, had covered around 700 hectares and affected 1,100 families, comprising nearly 8,000 people.
“The remaining families had approached the Supreme Court, which directed the formation of a district-level enforcement and removal committee. Notices were issued, claims were examined, and joint verification was conducted wherever required before the latest operation”, the DFO said.
Security arrangements were significantly strengthened for the drive, with nearly 600 police personnel deployed and divided into five zones to facilitate simultaneous operations.
SSP Hojai Nirupam Hazarika said the eviction drive was progressing smoothly, with adequate preparations and coordination among the departments concerned.
“The eviction is proceeding smoothly, as the planning was done properly. We have deployed medical teams, the forest department, a civil magistrate, and fire & emergency services. The preparations have been thorough, and the people have also cooperated with us. Of the 158 households identified, some had vacated the area on the previous day, leaving 108 houses for eviction, of which nearly 70 per cent had been cleared,” Hazarika said.
The latest drives across the three districts brought renewed focus on the administration’s efforts to clear allegedly encroached land, particularly in reserve forests, while leaving affected families confronting the immediate challenge of finding shelter and rebuilding their lives.