By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: The Assam Forest Department and the Golaghat district administration have begun ground-level preparations for a fresh eviction drive at No. 2 Negheribil in Merapani, part of the Doyang Reserve Forest along the Assam-Nagaland border.
Special Chief Secretary M.K. Yadava on Thursday inspected the site in the presence of senior officials from the Forest Department, district administration, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and local police.
Drone surveillance was also carried out to assess whether any new structures had come up in the area since the previous eviction drive.
Speaking to reporters, Yadava said around 55 hectares of land had been cleared during an earlier eviction drive in the area and that 59 families were currently residing there.
According to him, all 59 families had earlier approached the court seeking protection from eviction, following which the court directed that eviction could proceed after proper notices were served.
The proposed eviction drive is currently awaiting further directions from the Gauhati High Court after the families filed another petition challenging the notices issued to them.
Yadava said a stay order remained in force, due to which structures demolished during the earlier drive had remained in their current condition pending a final ruling.
He added that the administration would proceed according to the High Court’s decision and that drones were deployed during Thursday’s inspection to verify whether any new houses had been constructed in the area.
The latest developments are part of a prolonged legal and administrative dispute over alleged encroachment on reserve forest land in Negheribil.
In August 2025, the Forest Department launched a large-scale eviction drive targeting 205 families accused of encroaching on protected forest land in the area.
Officials said 146 households were cleared during the first phase of the operation and more than 50 hectares of reserve forest land were reclaimed.
The remaining 59 families later approached the Gauhati High Court, after which the matter reached the Supreme Court, which on February 10, 2026, ruled in favour of the Assam Forest Department.
Following the apex court order, the Golaghat Forest Division on February 21 issued fresh eviction notices to the remaining families at No. 2 Negheribil, directing them to vacate within seven days.
Separate notices were also served to 11 families in Uriamghat in the presence of CRPF personnel and local police.
However, the affected families again moved the Gauhati High Court, resulting in the present stay order.
Officials on Thursday reviewed the ground situation and assessed areas identified for the proposed eviction process. Subject to the court’s direction, the operation is expected to begin during the first phase of June.
The Negheribil area has remained at the centre of allegations of large-scale encroachment on notified forest land for several years, and Thursday’s inspection indicated that the administration was preparing to move ahead once judicial clearance is received.