GUWAHATI: On Friday, the forest department initiated the eviction of encroachers from the Doyang Reserve Forest in the Golaghat district, leading to the demolition of 146 houses amidst significant security presence. However, another 59 houses remain undisturbed for now due to an order from a Gauhati high court division bench on August 5, according to a district administration official.
The official noted that 205 individuals were illegally occupying over 300 bighas of land within the reserved forest at Negheri Bil, located along the Assam-Nagaland border. “Families from 146 households have already vacated the land. The concrete structures were demolished on Friday. Notices were issued to these families on July 24, instructing them to vacate within seven days. Nevertheless, the eviction process was delayed after several petitions were filed with the Gauhati high court,” the official explained.
Following the notices, a couple of writ petitions were submitted by residents of Negheri Bil, asserting their land rights and requesting that the notices be considered ‘ignored’. A single-judge bench of the court extended the eviction period until August 7 on July 29, directing the state government to prepare for eviction and forest conservation post-deadline.
The petitioners subsequently approached the two-member division bench, consisting of Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury, by filing a writ appeal. On August 5, the court granted them a 10-day extension until August 14 to provide evidence of land allocation or to vacate. Until then, the government was instructed not to take any coercive actions against the appellants.
Complying with the court’s directives, the forest department and district administration left the 59 houses untouched while proceeding to demolish the others.
