GUWAHATI: More than 200 families, who have been evicted from Silsako Beel, staged a sit-in protest at the designated protest ground at Sachal in Guwahati, Assam on Thursday demanding adequate compensation and rehabilitation of the affected families without any delay.
More than 1,000 families, who allegedly encroached on the land of Silsako Beel, have been evicted by Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) in a three-phase eviction drive conducted on May 13, 2022, and February 27, 28, March 1, 2 and September 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of this year.
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“These families have been living in this piece of land for more than three decades. They have not issued prior notice for the eviction drive. According to the Assam Land Law, 1989 and 2019, a family has to receive land documents from the government if it dwells in a government plot for more than 15 years. But the government has denied the land rights of these indigenous families, even as they have been dwelling there for more than 40 to 50 years”, said Gayatri Bori, a leader of Silsako Paror Ussed Pratirudhi Raij.
“During the 2021 assembly election, Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that every family which is encroaching on government land will be given land patta by the government. Unfortunately, the BJP-led government led by Chief Minister HImanta Biswa Sarma evicted all indigenous families from Silsako Beel, needless to talk of land pattas,” Bori said.
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Succumbing to pressures from various political and non-political organizations, the state government suspended on September 13 following which the Chief Minister announced that adequate compensation would be provided to the evicted families.
“But the government is adopting nepotism in releasing relief to the evicted families. As per our information, Rs 5 lakh has been released to each 51 families as compensation. However, the GMDA authorities are reluctant to provide any information on the relief package. We have doubts that the genuine evicted families have not been provided the compensation,” Bori also said.
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It is alleged that the GMDA has provided compensation to some families who are members or their relatives of a forum which is supporting the government during the eviction drive.
“The government is playing divisive policy in payment of compensation. But we do not want relief, we want land and rehabilitation. We have nothing to do with Rs 5 lakh compensation,” she said.
“Surprisingly, the eviction drive did not reach out to Hotel Ginger, Ideal Hill View of Hinmatsingka, Hamza Properties Private Ltd of Maulana Badaruddin Ajmal, Prithvi Greens, Royal Plaza, Omeo Kumar Das Institute and some other organizations which are also occupying land at the same locality,” Bori further alleged.
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Approximately half of the 1,000 families who were forced to leave the Silsak o Beel area had been living there before it was legally recognized as a wetland in 2008. The other families, who arrived after the wetland status was established, claim they were deceived by the landlords and middlemen.
Thursday’s protest rally demanded the state government’s immediate rehabilitation of the evicted indigenous families and provide them adequate compensation.
The people protesting demanded the government increase the amount of money given to families who have been forced to leave their homes. Currently, the government has set Rs 10 lakh for RCC buildings, Rs 5 lakh for AT buildings, and Rs 1.50 lakh for kuccha houses.
They also demanded the government to make public the list of the evicted families who have received government compensation.
The protesters gave a letter to the Chief Minister through the police. In the letter, they asked for land and compensation for the families who were forced to leave their homes in and around Guwahati. They want 1 kath 5 lessa land for each family and they want to be compensated for the damage to their houses and belongings.