Our Correspondent
Diphu, Nov. 27 (EMN): The East division of Forest department of Karbi Anglong with the support from district administration and law and order carried out eviction drive by demolishing temporary structures, boundary fencing and electric pole that were constructed inside the Lahorijan Proposed Reserve Forest (PRF) inside Karbi Anglong on Monday. The Lahorijan PRF falling inside Karbi Anglong is on the inter-state boundary of Assam-Nagaland. The eviction was carried out on Mon. Nov. 27.
The eviction was carried out at Hatoka gaon, Hajongpur and parts of Kramsa model village coming under PRF. The eviction drive started from 9 in the morning and completed at 12 noon. The Forest officials claimed that 166 temporary houses were demolished during the eviction drive using two earth movers to demolish the houses.
There were 416 forest officials and staffs headed by DFOs of West and East divisions, ACF, rangers, dy. rangers, foresters and forest guards including both men and women.
While SP, Karbi Anglong Dr. G.V Siva Prasad gave the figure of 910 personnel including both Assam Police and 20 Bn. CRPF who were engaged in the drive.
Altogether around 1,336 of both forest, police and paramilitary personnel were used in the eviction drive.
The Lahorijan PRF which have teak plantation were cleared out many years back by timber smugglers and land encroachers making the vast area into a barren land. The whole barren land has paved way for land encroachers to occupy the forest land without any trouble.
The encroached are on seeing the surroundings seems like a recent settlement of about three to four years as horticulture saplings like jackfruit, mango, and lemon are seen growing.
The encroachers settling in the forest land have cultivated vegetables and spices on the forest land. The area has road construction and iron electric poles erected for electricity connection. In some places wires have already be connected from post to post inside the forest land.
From Hatoka area 35 houses and from Hajongpur area 80 houses were demolished in today’s eviction drive and parts of Kramsa model village was also touched where few houses were demolished.
A forest official said that reportedly 800 bighas of land owned by Augustine in Kramsa area and large parts of the area falling under revenue land and those parts falling inside Lahorijan PRF were cleared out.
Deputy Commissioner , Karbi Anglong Adil Khan, Superintending Police , Karbi Anglong Dr. G.V Siva Prasad, Inspector, 20 Bn. CRPF Nirmal Singh and DFO, East Division Joysing Bey and DFO, West Division Jaganath Rongpi, and rangers took active part in the eviction drive here on today.
More eviction is said to be carried out on Nov. 28 at Raikom Aklam and Hileswar Boro villages under Daldoli RF of West Division, DFO, West Division Jaganath Rongpi informed.
