BISWANATH CHARIALI, June 12 - The border row between Assam and its neighbouring State Arunachal Pradesh has reached a new high following the latter�s fresh alleged encroachment in the reserve forests of Assam situated along the border which are full of flora and fauna. The Arunachali Agrasan Virodhi Samiti, Borgang has alleged that Arunachal Pradesh has again encroached a huge portion amounting to around 40 bighas of land in the Naharjan sector of the Behali Reserve Forest in Biswanath district which they claim to be their own land.
It may be mentioned here that as many as 15 local people were killed by miscreants at Chaoldhowa along the Assam-Arunachal border on January 29, 2014, but when the Assam Government tried to set up security outposts in the forest to provide security to the people and the forest, it was challenged. However, the Department of Home, Government of Assam managed to set up three temporary border outposts at Dikal, Radhasu and Naharjan. The Government has not been able to give the outposts a permanent shape as the Government of Arunachal Pradesh approached the Supreme Court alleging that the outposts had been set in their own land. As a result, the condition of the outposts is deteriorating day by day leading to much inconvenience to the jawans posted there, particularly during the rainy season. The communication and road condition is also very pathetic. At present, 40 jawans of the 24 India Reserve Battalion are posted at Radhasu forest camp.
Meanwhile, a team of the senior officers of the Department of Forest, Government of Assam including Conservator of Forest, Northern Assam Forest Division, P Shiva Kumar, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Biswanath, Rajen Choudhury and others, visited the Behali Reserve Forest recently and took stock of the situation. Later, P Shiva Kumar informed mediapersons that the Arunachali encroachers will be evicted within a period of one week.
