Hojai / Guwahati, October 17: The Assam government on Saturday resumed a major eviction drive in the Jamuna-Maudanga Reserved Forest under the Doboka revenue circle of Hojai district, targeting 152 families whose temporary court protection had earlier shielded them from removal. District administration and Forest Department officials, backed by police and Central forces, began the operation early in the morning with the aim of reclaiming approximately 525 bighas of land they say was under illegal encroachment.
Around 12 bulldozers were pressed into service as teams moved systematically through the designated blocks. Officials said loudspeaker announcements had been made on Friday evening, directing the remaining families to vacate their houses and remove belongings. Several households reportedly began leaving overnight after the warning, while others were still present when the machines arrived on Saturday.
The current phase is a continuation of a much larger eviction exercise carried out in January this year. During that drive, the administration removed 1,098 families and recovered roughly 700 hectares (about 5,250 bighas) of forest land. At the time, 152 families had approached the Gauhati High Court and obtained interim relief, allowing their structures to remain standing while the matter was under judicial consideration. With those temporary stays no longer in force, authorities have now moved to clear the residual encroachments.
District officials described the operation as peaceful and conducted strictly in accordance with legal procedures. Senior officers from the Hojai district administration, the South Nagaon Forest Division and local police supervised the exercise. Adequate security arrangements were put in place to prevent any law-and-order situation. Sources said most of the families involved claimed long-term residence ranging from 20 to 30 years or more, primarily for cultivation, though the administration maintains that a significant number also possessed land outside the reserved forest.
The Jamuna-Maudanga Reserved Forest spans more than 8,000 bighas in total. Over the years large portions had come under occupation, prompting successive survey and notice processes. The Forest Department had earlier issued formal eviction notices giving occupants time to leave voluntarily. The January operation was described by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as the completion of a major phase of the state’s broader campaign to free forest and government land from encroachment. In a social media post at the time, he had declared the “mission completed” after the bulk of the land was reclaimed.
Saturday’s action forms part of a wider judicial and administrative push across Assam. In recent months the Gauhati High Court has directed the state to clear illegal settlements from several centuries-old reserved forests, including Lutumai, South Nambor, Doyang and Borpani, emphasising that public rights over forests and wildlife outweigh private claims of long residence. The court has also clarified that documents such as Aadhaar cards, voter identity cards or electricity connections do not confer legal title inside notified reserved forests.
Local reactions on the ground remained mixed. Some residents who had already left expressed anxiety over rehabilitation and livelihood, while administration officials insisted that alternative arrangements and due process had been followed. No major resistance was reported in the initial hours of the drive. The operation is expected to continue over the coming days until the identified area is fully cleared.
The renewed eviction comes at a time when Assam is observing Durga Puja festivities, yet forest and revenue officials said the schedule was dictated by the lifting of court restraints rather than the festive calendar. Senior police officers confirmed that additional forces had been deployed as a precautionary measure.
For the state government, the drive is another step in its stated policy of restoring ecological balance and reclaiming public land. For the families affected, it marks the end of a prolonged period of uncertainty that began with the January clearance and the subsequent court proceedings. Officials indicated that further verification and documentation would follow once the physical eviction is complete.