3.89 lakh bighas encroached in Bodoland Territorial Region, massive eviction drive on cards

GUWAHATI: The BTC (Bodoland Territorial Council) is now ready to evict encroachers from the tribal belts and blocks within the BTR (Bodoland Territorial Region). The process has been already set in motion with the BTC asking the Circle Officers concerned to give details of the costs and logistic support for the eviction drives.

The proposed eviction drives follow a Public Interest Litigation or PIL (78/2-12) filed in the Gauhati High Court by Pradyut Kumar Bora. He said in the PIL that there have been massive encroachments of lands in the tribal belts and blocks in the BTR.

On December 9, 2019, the High Court asked the State government to make the tribal belts and blocks within the BTR free from encroachers. However, the order of the High Court couldn't be carried out because of the Corona pandemic, followed by the BTC election. A year has elapsed in that way.

Now, BTC Secretary D.D. Boro has already instructed the Circle Officers of Kokrajhar, Gossaigaon, Dotoma, Tamulpur, Mazbat, among others in BTR to treat the matter earnestly as it has been an order issued by the Gauhati High Court. They have been asked to submit details of the proposed drive immediately.

According to official records, 3.89 lakh bighas of land in tribal belts and blocks in the BTR are under the encroachment of 1.01 lakh people. As much as 54,798 bighas of land out of the 3.89 lakh bighas is under the occupation of people of non-protected class.

However, the 'Northeast Heritage Foundation' has said that only 4.50 lakh bighas of land have been encroached upon in the tribal belts and blocks across the BTR; and not 3.89 lakh bighas.

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