Guwahati: The Assam government will not intervene in the proposed eviction drive of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) against Hindi-speaking people who have been settled at Proposed Grazing Reserve (PGR) in Kheroni under Donka Revenue Circle in West Karbi Anglong district.
This was stated by Assam revenue minister Jogen Mohan while replying to a zero-hour notice moved by opposition leader Debabrata Saikia on the floor of the state assembly on Friday.
Succumbing to pressures from Karbi organizations, including Karbi Students Association (KSA) and Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC), Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) authorities on February 20 decided to launch an eviction drive against Hindi-speaking people illegally settled in Kheroni PGR with immediate effect.
The decision was taken by the KAAC authorities after a meeting of all political and non-political organisations to discuss the status of the proposed Grazing Reserve (PGR) and Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) in the two hill districts in Diphu.
“The eviction drive will be launched based on the judgment passed by the Supreme Court in 2011,” CEM Tuliram Ronghang told reporters on February 20.
The KAAC also asked the circle officer of Donka Revenue Circle and Phuloni Revenue Circle to issue eviction notices to the illegal settlers.
Mohan said a total of 9,286 people of 1,989 families have been settled illegally in PGR land in Kheroni. “There are 34 RCC houses and 1,155 kucca houses in the PGR land. On February 20, 10 Sarkari Gaon Burah (village headman) have been terminated from their service due to negligence of duty,” Mohan said quoting the statement of KAAC.
“The land revenue department is a transferred subject and it has been functioning under the KAAC. We have nothing to what they decided to do. It is their internal matter. But law and order is a state subject,” Mohan also said.
“The PGR was announced by the British government in 1933. In 1946, its boundary was demarcated. The area is yet to be de-reserved,” the minister said.
The demand for eviction of illegal settlers from VGR and PGR got louder after 11 KSA activists were mercilessly assaulted by a group of miscreants (believed to be Hindi-speaking people of Kheroni) on February 15.
Police have registered a case bearing number 12/2024 under section 341/147/143/294/120B/153A 325/307/506/427 of IPC and arrested six persons in this connection.