Eviction notices issued in Hati Chong Mouza, locals say no forced land occupation
A senior resident of Nagaon’s Hati Chong area however highlighted that nobody had occupied land by force
Raha, July 26: The Circle Officer of Nagaon Sadar on Friday issued eviction notices for the Hati Chong mouza, directing alleged encroachers to vacate the area immediately.
“This notice is to inform you that you have encroached upon the land of the Hati Chong grazing reserve by constructing houses and engaging in agricultural activities,” a loose translation of the notice read.
The notice highlighted that the encroached land be evicted as soon as possible, failing which, action under the law will be taken against the encroachers.
“You are hereby directed to vacate the land at the earliest; failing which, action will be taken under the provisions of law. No further notice will be issued in this matter”, the notice read.
An image of the notice issued by the Nagaon Circle Officer directing encroachers to vacate Hati Chong area (AT Photo)
Following the issuance of the eviction notice, residents argued that they had not occupied anyone’s land by force.
“Nobody has taken anyone's land by force. There were no formal land documents. It was government land that kept changing hands, someone sold it to me, and now it's my property,” a resident told the press.
He highlighted that the people of the area are locals.
“I have lived here since 1983. Most of the people are locals or from nearby villages. After eviction, they’ll probably move in with relatives. Where else can they go?", he added.
Eviction notices have been issued for various places in Nagaon (AT Photo)
According to reports, similar eviction notices have been issued for Bogoriguri and Goroimari grazing reserves, as well as areas in Samaguri such as Khatowal mouza and Kachari Gaon.
Further, along with Hati Chong mouza, eviction notices have also been issued to Bogoriguri and Goroimari grazing reserves.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, during his second visit to Uriamghat this month, stated that if Uriamghat is cleared, the government will have reclaimed 1.5 lakh bighas of land from encroachers.
However, he added that voluntary evacuation would eliminate the need for forced evictions. “Even if I remain Chief Minister for life, I may not be able to fully reclaim Assam’s land due to the scale of encroachment,” he said, urging public cooperation in reporting future encroachments.