Guwahati, Nov 30: The eviction drive at the Lutumari Forest Reserve in Assam’s Nagaon district entered its second day on Sunday, as authorities continued clearing hundreds of households allegedly built illegally on protected forest land.

Officials said nearly 1,700 families had encroached upon around 5,962 bighas of land over the years, gradually developing clustered settlements inside the ecologically sensitive reserve.

On Saturday, the first day of the operation, nearly 1,200 families were evicted, with many residents reportedly moving out after receiving advance notices.

“Many families have already left their homes following directives from the district administration. The area has been encroached upon for many years,” an official said.

Despite large-scale voluntary departures, bulldozers and demolition teams resumed work on Sunday to remove the remaining structures.

Forest Department Special Chief Secretary M.K. Yadava said the eviction is being carried out in compliance with Supreme Court directives. He added that freeing the reserve from encroachments would help mitigate the escalating human–elephant conflict in the region.

“Notices were issued as per High Court orders. Many people left voluntarily. Once the eviction of 6,000 bighas in Lutumari and 1,600 bighas in Borpani is completed, Nagaon will get significant relief from human–elephant conflict,” Yadava said.

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