The Assam government is preparing to resume an eviction drive against 59 families living at No. 2 Negheribil along the Assam-Nagaland border, following a Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for the Golaghat district administration and Forest department to proceed with the drive.
A team of officials from the district administration and the Forest Department visited the area on Sunday and served a final notice to the remaining families, asking them to vacate their houses by August 18.
As part of preparations for the proposed eviction, officials numbered the houses and conducted a detailed survey of the area using drone cameras.
The Forest department had earlier conducted an eviction drive against 205 families in No. 2 Negheribil. However, 59 families opposed the action and approached the Gauhati High Court before subsequently moving the Supreme Court.
The families had obtained a stay on the eviction proceedings while the matter was under judicial consideration.
The Supreme Court has since ruled in favour of the Assam government in the case, clearing the way for the authorities to resume the eviction process, officials said.
Following the court’s decision, the administration has asked the remaining families to vacate their homes within the stipulated deadline. Officials indicated that if the families do not comply with the notice, the administration is likely to proceed with the eviction drive after August 18.
The development comes amid renewed efforts by Assam and Nagaland to keep their long-running border dispute from escalating.
Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister, Y. Patton, met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati on July 29 to discuss inter-state relations, cooperation and proposed oil and gas exploration along the border.
Patton has maintained that border issues should be addressed through dialogue, joint action and coordination between the two states, while respecting existing agreements, including the 1972 Interim Agreement.
Nagaland has also maintained that while it supports action against illegal encroachment, evictions and other activities in sensitive border areas should be carried out in coordination with the administrations of both states to prevent tensions.
