Hassle free eviction continues in Lumding reserve forest
 
HT Correspondent
NAGAON, Nov 11: Hojai district administration and the forest department on Thursday also carried out a hassle-free eviction drive at Thadongnola area in Lumding reserve forest.
Over 26 families of Sakma tribes were peacefully shifted to Deka Basti area in the forest after being repeatedly counseled by the officials of district administration as well as Forest department, sources added.
Sources said that officials of Hojai district administration, forest, police and other paramilitary forces went to Thadongnola area where some illegal settlers from Sakma tribes had encroached several hectares of land of the reserve forest and tried to clear the encroached area by counseling the encroachers. But the settlers did not agree with the administration saying that they would leave the forest if they got their respective rehabilitation or suitable compensation so far for which the administration had to postpone the eviction for a while, sources added.
When the district administration asked them to settle at Deka Basti area near the reserve forest, the settlers of Thadongnola accepted the proposal.
Meanwhile they themselves dismantled their own houses and shifted bags and baggage to the Deka Basti area on the tractors sponsored by the district administration, sources added further.
Gunadeep Das, DFO Dakshin Nagaon Forest Division, Hojai while interacting with local media persons here said that before initiating any eviction drive, around 26 families from Sakma community people had left the forest on Thursday and shifted to Deka Basti area near the reserve forest and it was quite peaceful although at the very beginning, many of them objected to the idea of leaving the forest.
He however claimed that around 1,410 hectares of land had been cleared from encroachment in Lumding reserve forest by the administration during the first phase of eviction and the same drive would be carried out in the reserve forest from time to time until and unless the forest become free from encroachment.