Latest news with #PradhanMantriAwasYojana-Gramin
The Hindu
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Eviction drive under way for second day in Assam to clear encroachment on 1,500 hectares of forest land
'A massive eviction drive to clear alleged encroachment on nearly 1,500 hectares of forest land in Assam's Golaghat district continued for the second day on Wednesday (July 30, 2025),' officials said. 'The exercise, once completed, will displace around 1,500 families, mostly from the Muslim community,' they added. The eviction drive started on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) to uproot illegal settlements on almost 11,000 bighas (nearly 1,500 hectares) of land in the Rengma Reserve Forest in Uriamghat along the Assam-Nagaland border in Sarupathar sub-division. Assam begins eviction drive to clear encroached forest land on Nagaland boundary "Today, the eviction drive started at Sonari Beel and Pithaghat area from around 9 a.m. So far, everything is progressing as per plans and peacefully," a district administration official told PTI. Although the government has claimed that the area was encroached, senior officials acknowledged that there were houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) and water connection under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). They also admitted that there were government schools under Sarba Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), sub-health centre under National Health Mission (NHM) and electricity connections to almost every household, besides markets, mosques, madrassas and churches. Assam, Mizoram draft rules to curb illegal immigration On Tuesday (July 29, 2025), the major eviction drive started from the main market area in the Bidyapur area, followed by residential locations. 'During the drive, around 120 'illegal' commercial structures spread over approximately 4.2 hectares of forest land were demolished,' the official said. The operation was led by the Forest Department with active support from the Golaghat district administration and the Assam Police in close coordination with the Government of Nagaland and the Nagaland Police. To ensure smooth and peaceful execution of the operation, an extensive security arrangement, including the deployment of CRPF personnel, was put in place. The district official claimed that around 10,500 bighas to 11,000 bighas of land were encroached upon by the people. Assam govt prepares for mega eviction drive in Golaghat, to affect 2,000 families "Around 2,000 families are living in those areas. Out of them, notices were served to about 1,500 families, who illegally settled here. The remaining families are forest dwellers and have certificates from the Forest Rights Committee (FRC)," he added. 'The families whose houses are being demolished belong to the Muslim community, while those having FRC certificates are from Bodo, Nepali, Manipuri and other communities,' the official said. "Around 80% of the families who had received notices have already vacated their illegal settlements in the last few days. We are only demolishing their homes," he added. While speaking to PTI, the affected families, however, questioned the rationale of the eviction drive and claimed that they were brought to this location by the earlier governments to protect the area from the alleged invasion of Nagaland. Notably, the Assembly was informed in March that almost 83,000 hectares of land belonging to Assam were being occupied by four neighbouring states, and Nagaland captured the highest amount of land in Assam — 59,490.21 hectares. They claimed that most of the alleged encroachers' previous generation was settled in the forest by the Janata Party government, headed by ex-CM Golap Borbora, in 1978-79 and the first Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) government, which came to power in 1985. The government-run Bidyapur Lower Primary School was established in 1978, according to the sign board on the school building. This supports the public claim that many people were living in the area from around 1975. All the government schools in the alleged encroached area have been converted into forest camps before the start of the eviction drive. Ali Kazi, an evicted person, told PTI that they have been cooperating with the authorities in this drive. "We only requested the government to settle us somewhere else, but they refused. We now have no option but to stay under tents. We are not even given drinking water; forget about any food. It's very inhuman," he added. The encroached area, as claimed by the government, was provided with electricity, schools, JJM water connections, health centres and houses under PM Awas Yojana, among other benefits from the State. When asked about these government infrastructure, a senior official of the Forest Department accepted that such facilities were provided by the authorities and some of the installations were made even after 2016 when the BJP came to power for the first time in Assam. 'I do not know why these were sanctioned and established in this area. These were set up before I came here. There were also mosques and madrassas among the Muslim community, while churches were set up by the Bodo people,' the official said. 'For carrying out the eviction drive across 12 villages, the authorities have divided the entire area into nine zones and are doing the survey accordingly,' he added. A district administration official said that proper notices were served by the Forest Department to the alleged encroachers, giving them seven days to vacate the place. The Assam Police stationed a senior official from its headquarters in Golaghat to oversee the law and order situation in the course of the eviction drive. Nagaland also issued an advisory to the bordering districts to keep a strict vigil so that displaced people cannot cross into the State in the event of the proposed eviction drive.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
120 structures across 4.2ha forest land razed on Day 1 of Uriamghat eviction
1 2 Guwahati: On the first day of a massive eviction drive to clear encroachments on forest lands in Rengma Reserve Forest at Uriamghat in Golaghat district on Tuesday morning, bulldozers razed over 100 commercial structures close to the inter-state border with Nagaland. A govt release on Tuesday said this eviction drive marks a significant step in Assam govt's ongoing efforts to prevent illegal encroachment in protected forest areas and to promote ecological conservation in the region. The target is to clear the entire 11,000 bighas of encroached land in Uriamghat, where, according to officials, about 2,500 families with a population of not less than 12,000 are encroaching forest areas. A large number of these families are from the central Assam districts of Nagaon and Morigaon, while there are families from north and south Assam districts who claimed to have started settling down in the forest areas of Uriamghat in the 1970s under govt patronage and started cultivation with the Nagas. Eviction was carried out on Tuesday at Bidyapur Market in Uriamghat, located within the Rengma Reserve Forest. The operation was led by state forest department, with active support from Golaghat district administration and Golaghat police, in close coordination with the govt of Nagaland and Nagaland Police. "During the drive, about 120 illegal commercial structures spread over approximately 4.2 hectares of forest land were demolished. This action was part of a concerted effort to reclaim encroached reserve forest land and reinforce the govt's commitment to environmental conservation," the release read. Over 90% of the families deserted the settlements by Monday night. One after another, houses were bulldozed since morning to restore forest area. Forest department officials also destroyed betel nut plantations cultivated by the encroachers. There were no reports of any conflict between police and encroachers. According to local MLA Biswajit Phukan, the encroachment was mostly by 'Miyas', a term used in Assam to refer to migrant Muslims of Bangladesh/East Pakistan origin. The operation involved large-scale deployment of machinery, forest personnel, and administrative officials. It was conducted under the supervision of special chief secretary MK Yadava, principal chief conservator of forests, Assam, Golaghat DC, Golaghat senior superintendent of police and other senior officials, including additional district commissioners and executive magistrates. "To ensure smooth and peaceful execution of the operation, an extensive security arrangement was put in place with the involvement of police and CRPF," the release added. Evicted families alleged that the govt provided electricity connections to them and built houses for the poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G). Tap water connection was provided to families in encroached lands under a govt scheme. "There are some govt schools as well on the encroached land, and houses of govt employees have also been razed," a resident said. While Muslim families alleged that the govt targeted them but spared Nepali, Bodo, and Manipuri families, govt officials said many of those who have not received eviction notices are forest dwellers.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Massive eviction drive launched in Assam's Golaghat; 15,000 people, mostly Muslims, affected
Contrary to government claims that the area was encroached, the demolished properties include houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), water connection under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), government schools under Sarba Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) and electricity connections to almost every household, besides markets, mosques, madrassas and churches, according to locals. The affected families questioned the rationale of the eviction drive and claimed that they were brought to the place by the earlier governments to protect the area from the alleged invasion of Nagaland. "Where will we go from here? My father had come from Nagaon district around 40 years ago, but I was born here. We were brought here during the 1980s to protect the forest land from encroachment from Nagaland," said Ali Kazi, who also received an eviction notice. He claimed that most of the alleged encroachers' previous generation was settled in the forest area by the Janata Party government, headed by ex-CM Golap Borbora, in 1978-79 and the first AGP government, which came to power in 1985. Notably, the assembly was informed in March that almost 83,000 hectares of land belonging to Assam were being occupied by four neighbouring states. It was also stated that Nagaland captured the highest amount of land in Assam -- 59,490.21 hectares. Kazi claimed, "We have been cooperating with the authorities in this eviction drive. We requested them to settle us somewhere else, but they refused. We now have no option but to stay under tents. We are not even given drinking water; forget about food. It's very inhuman." Another eviction victim, Mamtaj Ali, asked, "If we were illegal settlers, how did we get electricity connections? Why did the government open schools and give us JJM connections? We were also given houses under PM Awas Yojana." When asked about these government infrastructure, a senior official of the forest department accepted that such facilities were provided by the authorities, and some of these installations were made even after 2016 when the BJP came to power for the first time in Assam. "I do not know why these were sanctioned and established in this area. These were made before I came here," he added. There were mosques and madrassa for people belonging to the Muslim community, while churches were set up by the Bodo people, the official said. Meanwhile, the Niki Sumi faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland viewed the eviction drive as a 'well-planned' move by the Assam government to grab the ancestral lands of the Nagas. The rebel group alleged that successive Assam governments encouraged the policy of settling 'illegal Bangladeshi immigrants' in the inter-state border areas with the alleged intention to grab the lands of the Nagas. The massive eviction drive followed Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's recent visit to Uriamghat. 'People of Assam are victims of the mass scale encroachment, demographic alteration and violence which is caused by illegal settlers. They are firmly behind our Govt in our crackdown against encroachment and realise the need to reclaim what's truly ours,' Sarma posted on X on July 29 Earlier this month, the Assam government had carried out major eviction drives in Lakhimpur, Goalpara and Dhubri districts which displaced thousands of Muslims. (With inputs from PTI)
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Smart villages key to developed India: Dy CM Maurya
Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Saturday said that empowering villages and promoting self-reliance in rural areas were essential to building a developed India. He called for transforming villages into 'smart villages' on the lines of smart cities. Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya (Sourced) Maurya was addressing a review meeting of chief development officers (CDOs) at Yojna Bhawan, where he noted that Uttar Pradesh was leading in several rural development schemes and had the highest women's participation under MGNREGA. He asked officials to activate dormant self-help groups (SHGs), ensure greater transparency in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), and improve on-ground visibility of development works. During the meeting, the deputy CM launched the State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLM) dashboard and unveiled the fifth edition of the department's quarterly magazine. He also felicitated 11 block development officers (BDOs) for notable work in building sports grounds under MGNREGA and three CDOs for their performance under the livelihood mission. Maurya urged officials to improve SHG product quality for global markets, connect rural youth to the PM Food Processing Scheme, and ensure timely issue resolution through Gram Chaupal. He also called for better maintenance of MGNREGA assets and the creation of a portal for PMAY-G beneficiaries.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Developed India needs self-reliant villages: Maurya
Lucknow: Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Saturday said the goal of building a developed India will be achieved only through the holistic and balanced development of villages. "Villages and villagers have to be made strong, self-reliant and self-sufficient in every situation. Smart villages need to be built like smart cities. Development work should be visible on the ground," he said. Maurya was chairing a review meeting of development works organised with all the chief development officers (CDOs) of the state at the Yojana Bhawan. He told senior officials of the rural development department and the CDOs to focus especially on activating the inactive self-help groups. He said Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-R) should be made more transparent. Maurya said the top priority of the govt is the welfare of the poor. He said Uttar Pradesh played a leadership role in the FDR technology of PMGSY. "The roads being constructed by PMGSY's FDR technology should be monitored regularly," he said adding that work should be done to connect unemployed youth of the villages with the Prime Minister Micro Food Industry Upgradation Scheme. He asked the CDOs to check the ground reality of the development works in the villages. The DyCM said village chaupal is a powerful medium to connect with the public. "Quick resolution of the problems of the villagers should be ensured in the chaupals," he said.
