Eviction drive in Hailakandi enters second day, 170 families displaced

Silchar: The eviction drive at Damcherra forest village under the Gharmora forest range in Hailakandi district continued for a second consecutive day on Tuesday, with forest department and district administration pressing ahead with efforts to reclaim encroached reserve forest land.The operation, which began on Monday, aims to evict a total of 516 families and reclaim nearly 2,800 bighas of land from the Gharmora Inner Line Reserve Forest. On Tuesday, eviction was carried out in Sectors 1, 2, 3 and 4. On Monday, more than 150 houses, along with standing crops and betel nut plantations, were bulldozed.Officials said the second day’s drive covered villages, including Manipuri Chit, Kuki Nala, Kuki Tila, Damcherra Mukh, and adjoining habitations, affecting around 170 families. The operation was led by divisional forest officer Akhil Dutta and carried out under heavy security, with a large contingent of district police deployed to maintain law and order.Despite the scale of the exercise, the eviction drive remained peaceful, with no untoward incidents reported. Authorities said most of the encroachers had vacated voluntarily after notices were served nearly one-and-a-half months ago.More than 100 bulldozers have been deployed in what officials described as the largest eviction drive ever undertaken in the district. The administration indicated that the operation is likely to continue on Wednesday.In view of the ongoing eviction, the inspector of schools, Hailakandi, ordered the closure of all educational institutions in the Damcherra area from Tuesday until further notice, citing safety concerns.