Reported by Avik Chakraborty
Dibrugarh: The Dibrugarh district administration conducted a large-scale eviction drive along the Brahmaputra River in the Maijan area on Monday, removing around 60 families who had illegally occupied the riverbank for more than a decade.
The families were found to be living on nine bighas of government land on the riverbank, with some having even constructed permanent RCC houses. Many residents revealed they had paid large sums to land brokers, ranging between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, believing the plots were legal.
“Seven years ago we paid Rs 1.5 lakh to a broker who assured us the land was legal. Now we have lost both our money and our home,” said an evicted woman.
The eviction followed an order from the District and Sessions Court, Dibrugarh, after due notices were served.
A large police force was deployed as a precaution, but the operation proceeded peacefully as residents removed their belongings before excavators demolished the structures.
Circle Officer of Dibrugarh East Revenue Circle, Samujjwal Borah, said, “We had made adequate security arrangements keeping in mind the scale of the eviction, but the residents cooperated fully with the administration. There was no untoward incident during the entire operation.”
Meanwhile, local residents who lost their homes demanded action against the illegal brokers, alleging that they had been misled into purchasing government land.
“It is clearly evident that we all fell victim to fraudulent land brokers who illegally sold us government land for their personal profit. There was an organised racket operating behind these settlements, and we hope the authorities will take action against those brokers,” said a local resident who was evicted.