Massive eviction drive to clear 330 acres of land in Assam’s Sonitpur

A massive eviction drive to clear 330 acres of land in Assam’s Sonitpur district began on Saturday morning amid heavy security, police said. About 50 excavators, heavy machinery and a large number of workers were deployed for the drive to demolish houses in No 3 Chitalmari area in Barchalla on the northern bank of Brahmaputra river, they said. The process has been peaceful so far with almost all the illegal residents having already left the place with their belongings after receiving the eviction notice, a police officer said.

“The eviction drive has been incident-free so far. There has been no law and order situation,” the officer, who is among those overseeing the exercise, said. The drive began around 5 am and as most residents had already vacated their houses, the structures are being demolished with the help of excavators and other heavy machinery, he said. The area to be cleared has been divided into three parts and the demolition in one part has been completed by 9 am, another police officer said.

About 1,200 security personnel, including those of Assam Police and para-military forces, have been deployed at the site, equipped with anti-riot gear. As per government records, 299 families were living in the area, but more than 90 per cent of them have already left after receiving the notice around eight months back. Some of the residents being evicted lamented that no rehabilitation has been provided to them by the government.