Assam govt to start eviction drive in Orang National Park

The 21,000 acres of land inside the Orang National Park are illegally encroached by over 3000 inhabitants

Assam government is all set for another eviction drive in Orang National Park in Assam’s Darrang and Sonitpur districts.

The 21,000 acres of land inside the Orang National Park are illegally encroached by over 3000 inhabitants, government sources said.

The Orang National Park is located on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River in the Darrang and Sonitpur districts of Assam. It covers an area of 79.28 km.

The Assam administration issued a notice to the encroachers eight months ago to vacate the land, following which a hue and cry among the people was seen.

DFO Pradip Baruah had warned the encroachers that if they do not vacate the occupied land by May 15 (tomorrow), the administration will start eviction drive.

Some people have already started leaving their homes and have shifted to other places.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday urged the people to vacate the land by themselves before the action taken by the district administration. Following which, the encroachers have started leaving the place.

The Chief Minister inspected the Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary on Saturday and released a picture of the sanctuary after the eviction drive.

Taking to Twitter, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hailed Assam’s prestine glory, adding that the government is targeting to increase the state’s forest cover from 36 per cent to 38 per cent in the coming years.

Gratitude to everyone for joining our efforts to continue adding to Assam's pristine glory.

We have set a target to increase the state’s forest cover from 36% to 38% in the coming years.#MissionLiFE pic.twitter.com/guETA3HaF3

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 14, 2023

CM Sarma added that the eviction drives in Burachapori and the Orang National Park are carried out to clear the road from Kaziranga National Park to Orang National Park via Burhachapari as the area falls under the animal corridor.

In February this year, the Assam government had launched a massive eviction drive in Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary to free 1,892 hectares of land.

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