Citizens demand eviction drive over alleged illegal settlements in Bongaigaon

Bongaigaon, Jan 6: A group of conscious citizens has strongly opposed the encroachment of land abutting the river Tunia at Santipara near the New Bongaigaon crematorium and on Sunday lodged a complaint to the police against the encroacher.

One Hazrat Ali, who is locally known as ‘Maulana’, was trying to divert the flow of the river Tunia to illegally occupy land for personal use, when some residents of the area reached the spot. They opposed this act and informed the police.

Being unable to give a valid reason of this activity to the people, Ali stopped the diversion work and fled the scene, a local resident said.

The local citizens alleged that several immigrants of doubtful nationality have built their houses by encroaching land belonging to the railways and the government, along with land abutting rivers and water bodies. Encroachment has allegedly taken place even on paddy fields on the rear side of the New Bongaigaon Railway Station.

Local residents complained that this residential area has become a den of antisocial and anti-national elements. Hence, the local residents asserted that it is imperative to launch an eviction drive and take action against the suspected illegal migrants who have settled here as citizens of the country, allegedly by obtaining fake documents.

The locals alleged that though these migrants claim that their lands are patta land, but major parts of them are illegally occupied. If the settlers’ land-related documents are checked and verified at the local revenue circle office, their forgery will be detected, the local residents said.

As such, the locals of the area have demanded that the police and civil administration should check the documents of these dubious settlers near the New Bongaigaon crematorium, especially those pertaining to land ownership, identity, citizenship, original address, and present occupation.