By The Assam Tribune
Goalpara, Sept 24: After a prolonged seven-month delay, the Goalpara district administration began its eviction drive to clear 55 hectares of the 118.02-hectare Bandarmatha Reserve Forest from encroachers on Tuesday.
Armed with bulldozers, officials dismantled several structures, including residences of alleged settlers in the area, where, according to estimates, over 400 families are believed to have encroached.
Heavy security was deployed at the site to prevent any untoward incidents.
The eviction drive follows multiple notices issued by the district administration to clear the illegally occupied forest land, in line with a 2022 High Court order.
Two years ago, the Gauhati High Court had initiated a suo motu PIL regarding encroachments in the Bandarmatha Reserve Forest, which were disrupting elephant movement.
Following which, the court had directed the government to remove the encroachments, though the eviction process remains incomplete.
This story was originally published in assamtribune.com. Read the full story here.
