Golaghat Officials Set August 18 Deadline for Border Evictions

Guwahati: Golaghat district administration and Forest Department officials are set to clear 59 families from No. 2 Negheribil. The area sits directly on the Assam-Nagaland border in Merapani. Sunday, officials arrived on site to drop off final notices. They ordered residents to clear out by August 18.

The team mapped the area with drone cameras. They numbered every house in sight. This follows a larger operation where the Forest Department previously cleared 205 other families from the same site. Those 59 families fought back. They went to the Gauhati High Court, then the Supreme Court, to stop the bulldozers. They secured a temporary stay while judges weighed the legal merits of the case.

The Supreme Court eventually sided with the Assam government. The ruling wiped out the stay. Officials say the way is now clear to finish the job. If the residents stay past the deadline, the administration plans to move in. "The administration is likely to proceed with the eviction drive after August 18," officials said.