Assam's Forest Encroachment: A Contradictory Zero-Tolerance Policy
The Assam government's zero-tolerance policy against forest encroachment, championed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has been called into question following revelations of extensive encroachment in Biswanath and Sonitpur districts. The findings, reported by Northeast Now, expose a striking contradiction between the government's stance and the ground realities.
Large-Scale Encroachment Near Protected Forests
A field investigation by Northeast Now has uncovered large-scale, organized violations of India's forest laws in these districts. Hundreds of households have occupied forest land along the Itakhola Sijjosa stretch in Biswanath district, while over 200 households have constructed permanent settlements, including pucca, multi-room concrete houses, inside forest land in Sonitpur district's Mismari area.
Forest Department Sources Confirm Political Patronage
What is more troubling is the reported move by the Assam government to regularize these illegal occupations by granting land pattas under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006. Forest department sources told Northeast Now that the encroachers belong predominantly to the Bodo tribal community, having migrated from Udalguri, Baksa, and Tamulpur districts under the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
Selective Enforcement and Divisive Politics
The selective application of the Forest Conservation Act and the Forest Rights Act exposes an eviction regime driven less by environmental protection and more by identity politics and electoral calculation. Critics argue that the government's approach exposes a deeply communal and political application of law where eviction becomes a tool of majoritarian politics rather than environmental protection.
Implications for North East India and Beyond
The environmental and social implications of this selective enforcement are significant. The loss of forest cover not only accelerates environmental damage in some of Assam's most ecologically fragile landscapes but also deepens social divisions, undermining constitutional equality, and eroding public trust in the rule of law.
As Assam's forests continue to shrink despite decades of scientific warnings and satellite evidence, the question grows louder: Is zero tolerance a policy or merely a political slogan?