Voluntary demolition clears 28 bighas of govt land in Nagaon, eviction drive called off

Nagaon, Aug 27: In a first during Assam’s ongoing eviction drives, the Nagaon administration called off a scheduled operation on Wednesday after alleged encroachers in Jengoni, Dhing, voluntarily demolished their homes and businesses, clearing government land ahead of the planned eviction.

The voluntary demolition reportedly followed a visit by Nagaon Deputy Commissioner Debasish Sarma to Jengoni Tiniali on August 22, during which he appealed to the encroachers to surrender the land peacefully instead of resisting eviction.

“On August 22, DC Sir visited the site and appealed to the people to vacate government land. Following his request, the residents took the initiative and began demolishing their own houses around 10 pm last night. They even brought bulldozers to dismantle the structures, leaving the land almost fully cleared. Because of this voluntary step, the administration did not have to conduct the eviction drive,” said Sourabh Kumar Das, Dhing Revenue Circle Officer.

According to Das, the encroachers themselves demolished a total of 171 illegal structures, including 51 residences and 120 business establishments, clearing 28 bighas of government land. He added that such cooperation sets a positive precedent.

“Today’s development shows that when people understand the importance of preserving government land, eviction can happen without conflict. We hope the same spirit will be seen in other encroached areas,” he said.

Reacting to the development, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took to social media and wrote, “The TIDE is turning- encroachers who were earlier fighting our eviction drives are now supporting it....The best way forward is Compliance over Confrontation.” He also shared a video of the voluntary demolition in the area.

Officials now plan to carry out further operations in seven other areas under Dhing revenue circle, covering a total of 1,047 bighas of encroached government land.

These areas include Balisatra Doomdoomia Bazar, Balisatra Veterinary Land, Rajabari Grant, Ahom Gaon, Lahkar Ghat, Roumaree Beel, and Batabari Reserve. Notices had already been served to residents of these areas on July 25.

Circle Officer Das said, “We will be happy if the people in these areas also follow the same path and vacate the land voluntarily. Such cooperation not only prevents confrontation but also helps speed up the restoration and development of government land.”

The incident has drawn attention as a unique example of collaborative resolution between the administration and encroachers, with the Chief Minister hailing it as a turning point in Assam’s eviction drives.