The illegal encroachment in tribal belts and blocks by non-tribals and outsiders has raised the eyebrow of many conscious people in the BTC area and they opined that the eviction of illegal encroachment in reserve forests as well as in tribal belts and blocks should be carried out applying the same policy of Kaziranga National Park. They also felt that the BTC forest department should review its policy to tackle the menace.The attack on the forest official in Gossaigaon under Kachugaon Division recently and at Jharbari under Haltugaon Forest Division in Kokrajhar district the previous year has not only revealed the well-organized timber smuggling taking place from important reserve forests, but also exposed the incapability of the department concerned to deal with the situation. The attack on the Forest Range Officer at Jharbari last year, injuring four staff and damaging two official vehicles by a group of timber smugglers and recent attack with bows and arrows in Kachugaon in Gossaigaon subdivision has proved the inability of the forest officials to tackle timber smugglers with their outdated mini rifles and few bullets.
Timber smuggling and illegal encroachments in reserve forests in BTC are going on rampantly despite the in-charge of forest department, BTC often speaking about precautionary measures and eviction drives.
In a shocking revelation by the Executive Member (EM) of Land and Land Revenue department of BTC in 2014, it had come to light that over 3 lakh bighas of tribal belts and blocks and tribal sub plan areas had illegally been occupied by outsiders in the BTC region alone.
In the summer session of BTC legislative assembly held in 2014, MCLA Pradip Kumar Daimary said that the BTC was created taking the areas comprising the tribal belts and blocks constituted under the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation (Amendment) Act, 1947 and the tribal sub plan areas. The tribal belts and blocks are protected under this Act and in these areas, except the protected classes of people, no one had right to grab land without proper permission of the authority, he said adding that these tribal belts and blocks and TSP areas had been encroached upon on a large-scale by the outsiders and suspected Bangladeshis. Daimary questioned whether the BTC administration had information regarding the fresh encroachment in the tribal belts and blocks and TSP areas of council and how much land of belts and blocks as well as TSP areas of BTC were under the illegal occupation of outsiders and non-tribals?
In his written reply, the EM of the then Land and Land Revenue department of BTC, Reo Reoa Narzihary said that they had no knowledge about the fresh encroachment in tribal belts and blocks areas in BTC but the department concerned was collecting the data of fresh encroachments. He admitted that a total of 3, 49, 505 bighas, 4 kotha, 8 lessa of tribal belts and blocks and TSP areas had been encroached.
MCLA Daimary also said that the massive encroachment and settlement was taking place in reserve forest of BTC area. He drew attention of the House on the encroached forest land and steps taken by the department concerned to evict them. The deputy chief of BTC, Kampa Borgoyary, who is the In-charge of Forest and Tourism, said in his written reply that the encroachment in forest land and reserve forest was going on. The division wise encroachment in BTC reserve forest is- Kachugaon division-2385.14 hectare, Dhansri division-4262.7 hectare, Chirang division-8894.21 hectare, Baksa division-6337.6 hectare, Haltugaon division-14538.41 hectare and Porbotjhora division-3332.8 hectare. The Haltugaon division of Kokrjahar district has the highest record of encroachment of forest land.
Kampa Borgoyary also said that the BTC forest department had conducted eviction drive against the illegal encroachers in reserve forest areas but due to continuous re-encroachment, the encroached areas could not be fully cleared.
The president of the ICITP, Jebraram Mashahary has also been alleging that the external population pressure seemed to be a calculated designed to grab all land belonging to the indigenous people. He said the government agencies were also involved in the illegal occupation of land, including forest and char areas. He said the Bodos and other indigenous people of the State had no option but to carry out democratic movement against the flooding of suspected Bangladeshis.
“We have no place to move away from our ancestral land and we are to fight for its survival and existence,” he said adding that tribal people of the State had the maximum population but the unabated flow of aliens had posed serious threat to the identity and existence of aboriginal people. He also said the tribal people should unite against the calculated policy to grab the land of indigenous people.
State Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma has been working to deal with the illegal encroachers and poachers in national parks in the State. A massive eviction drive was carried out against the illegal encroachers in Kaziranga National Park, besides dealing with the rhino poachers with iron hands. Many poachers have been arrested after Brahma assumed office. The high-ranking officers of the Forest Department were also not spared and some of them have been arrested for their links with the rhino poachers. The eviction drive in Kaziranga National Park has been hailed by the people of the State. The people of BTC areas are demanding that eviction drive should be carried out simultaneously in Manas National Park and other reserve forests in the area with a policy similar to that adopted in Kaziranga National Park.
But despite this fact, the illegal encroachers in BTC reserve forests continue to destroy the forests and settle down there under the nose of forest department officials. The evicted encroachers are seen re-settling deep inside the reserve forest and thus depleting the forest cover. Most of the people of the region want the eviction drive to be taken in continuity ensuring proper rehabilitation of the genuine people.;[Source::The Sentinal]
“We have no place to move away from our ancestral land and we are to fight for its survival and existence,” he said adding that tribal people of the State had the maximum population but the unabated flow of aliens had posed serious threat to the identity and existence of aboriginal people. He also said the tribal people should unite against the calculated policy to grab the land of indigenous people.
State Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma has been working to deal with the illegal encroachers and poachers in national parks in the State. A massive eviction drive was carried out against the illegal encroachers in Kaziranga National Park, besides dealing with the rhino poachers with iron hands. Many poachers have been arrested after Brahma assumed office. The high-ranking officers of the Forest Department were also not spared and some of them have been arrested for their links with the rhino poachers. The eviction drive in Kaziranga National Park has been hailed by the people of the State. The people of BTC areas are demanding that eviction drive should be carried out simultaneously in Manas National Park and other reserve forests in the area with a policy similar to that adopted in Kaziranga National Park.
But despite this fact, the illegal encroachers in BTC reserve forests continue to destroy the forests and settle down there under the nose of forest department officials. The evicted encroachers are seen re-settling deep inside the reserve forest and thus depleting the forest cover. Most of the people of the region want the eviction drive to be taken in continuity ensuring proper rehabilitation of the genuine people.;[Source::The Sentinal]
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