Uriamghat eviction: 150 excavators roar in Assam’s biggest forest clearance drive

Golaghat, July 29: The Assam government, on Tuesday, launched a large-scale demolition drive in the Rengma forest area of Uriamghat in Golaghat district to clear alleged encroachments on over 11,000 bighas of land.

The drive began early in the morning, with over 150 excavators and bulldozers rolling into Bidyapur market, sparking panic among the alleged encroachers.

According to officials, the administration is targeting across 12 villages built by what they described as suspected citizens. The villages listed for demolition include Sonaribil Top, 2nd Pithaghat, 2nd Dayalpur, 3rd Dayalpur, Dolonpathar, Kherbari, Bidyapur, Bidyapur Market, 2nd Madhupur, Anadapur, Rajapukhuri and Gelajan.

Nearly 700–800 personnel from the Assam Police, Forest Department, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were deployed in and around the Rengma Forest Reserve—marking one of the largest such operations in recent months. Naga police personnel are also assisting in maintaining order at the demolition sites. Heavy machinery including excavators from Golaghat, Merapani, Sivasagar and Tinsukia have been brought to support the operation. 

District Commissioner Pulak Mahanta, Superintendent of Police Rajen Singh, officials of the 142nd CRPF battalion and senior forest department officials are present on-site to monitor the situation. 

Senior officials of the Golaghat district administration and the Forest Department said that between 10,500 and 11,000 bighas of forest land had been encroached upon in the area.

“The eviction drive started from the main market area in Bidyapur. We will gradually move into residential zones and demolish illegal housing structures,” an official said.

At the time of writing this report, the demolition drive was underway.

When asked about eviction notices, officials confirmed that notices were issued to 1,500 out of approximately 2,000 families living in the area.

“The remaining families are forest dwellers with certificates issued by the Forest Rights Committee (FRC),” an official added.

Locals claimed that the families whose houses are being demolished primarily belong to the Muslim community, while those with FRC certificates are from Bodo, Nepali, and other indigenous groups.

Preparations for the demolition began on Monday, with officials noting that many alleged encroachers had already vacated the area.

“Around 80% of the families who received notices have dismantled their homes and left in recent days. We are only demolishing abandoned structures,” the official said.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, during a visit to Uriamghat on July 25, had expressed confidence that the eviction would proceed without incident.

The Uriamghat eviction is part of the Assam government’s broader crackdown on encroachments on forest and government land.

According to reports, similar drives are planned in several other districts, including Kamrup (Metro), where eviction notices have been served to residents in Maligaon, Jalukbari, and areas near the airport.

With inputs from PTI