GUWAHATI, Feb 19 � Asserting that the State Government would never allow any settlement on the city�s forests and wetland, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said that the rehabilitation process of the landless would not affect eco-sensitive zones.
�Even though we are keen to settle the landless, they will not be rehabilitated in wetlands and forests, as this will cause serious ecological imbalance,� he said at a press conference.
The land allotment process for landless will start soon, he said, adding that those who have been living on government land for ten years or more over will be eligible for settlement.
On the threat by Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) chief Akhil Gogoi that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi�s forthcoming rally at Khanapara on February 25 would be disrupted unless the government agreed on its terms vis-�-vis settlement of the landless, the Chief Minister said that the KMSS intimidation smacked of Maoist tactics.
�But we are not going to be cowed down before any quarters. The Congress has its roots spread far and wide among the masses, and we had weathered many a storm in the past,� he said.
Terming his government�s economic management as by and large good, Gogoi urged the government employees to work sincerely and develop a healthy work culture, as the demands of the employees concerning salary, arrear, work condition, etc., were being fulfilled by the government.
