Hojai, 17 October (H.S.): The eviction drive in Assam's Jamuna-Maudanga Reserved Forest resumed on Saturday, with the district administration and Forest Department targeting 152 families and seeking to reclaim around 525 bighas of allegedly encroached forest land in the Doboka area.

Around 12 bulldozers have been deployed for the operation. On Friday, officials used loudspeakers to ask the affected families to vacate their houses before the drive began. Some families reportedly started leaving their homes overnight following the announcement.

The latest operation follows an eviction drive conducted in the reserved forest in January this year, when the administration evicted 1,098 families and reclaimed around 700 hectares of land.

However, 152 families had approached the court following the January operation and secured temporary relief from eviction. Their houses remained in the forest area while the matter was under consideration.

With the resumption of the drive, the administration and Forest Department are seeking to remove the remaining encroachments and reclaim the land identified for eviction.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar