Photo Courtesy: nenews
Guwahati: Assam Finance and Forest Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah announced a major eviction drive to clear illegal settlements from forest land in Goalpara district. The operation targets all four forest ranges in the area. Baruah visited the district on July 20 to inspect the proposed Nalbari Reserved Forest and other sites under the Lakhipur Forest Range. He plans to reclaim land to protect indigenous interests and restore wildlife habitats.
Rampant encroachment has cut off migration paths for elephants. This causes constant conflict between villagers and animals. Baruah stated, "The objective of the eviction drive is to protect forest land, safeguard the interests of the indigenous people, and restore the natural habitat of wildlife." He added that the state cleared 1.5 lakh bighas of land during the previous term and intends to exceed that figure. Additionally, the government will plant one crore saplings statewide before Independence Day.
Separately, severe flooding continues to punish Assam. A cloudburst in Nagaland triggered high water levels across the state. The government claims it is monitoring relief efforts for every affected family.
Flooding forced the Northeast Frontier Railway to halt services between Simaluguri, Namti Ali, and Selenghat. Many long-distance trains to Dibrugarh and Tinsukia are now diverted via the Rangiya, Rangapara, and Dibrugarh route. Several local trains are cancelled. To help stranded commuters, the railway started two special services. Train 05959 leaves Mariani at 8 pm on July 20 for Dibrugarh. A second service runs between Rangiya and Mariani from July 21 to July 24. Train 05832 departs Rangiya at 7:20 am, while the return train, 05831, leaves Mariani at 6 pm. These trains stop at major hubs including Dimapur, Lumding, and Guwahati.
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