GUWAHATI: Amidst the eviction drive at Silsako Beel here and Assam chief minister’s assurance of resettlement of evicted families which had settled in the water body prior to the enactment of the Guwahati Water Bodies (Preservation and Conservation) Act, 2008, anti-migration forum, Prabajan Virodhi Manch (PVM), has termed the eviction “discriminatory against the indigenous people.”
“The eviction operations conducted in Silsako and the manner in which the evictees have been treated shows that the government has double standards and different policies for the indigenous people and Bangladeshis. The government has been discriminatory against the indigenous people,” PVM convenor Upamanyu Hazarika, who is also a Supreme Court lawyer, alleged.
“Indigenous people, who have settled for decades with permanent housing, government amenities, including paying municipal taxes, are evicted without any notice, whereas those of Bangladeshi origin are not only given prior notice but alternative land for allotment including cash compensation,” he claimed.
“Even the government does not oppose petitions made by those of Bangladeshi origin. Concessions are made by the government in court resulting in favourable court orders for Bangladeshi encroachers. This is over and above the chief minister’s policy of granting allotment to all those who came from Bangladesh until January 1, 2011, in 14 lakh bighas of PGR (Professional Grazing Reserve) and VGR (Village Grazing Reserve) land,” he further claimed
Eviction operations in Gorukhuti, Sipajhar and Silsako in Guwahati provide stark contrast, he said.
Gorukhuti eviction was one of the first eviction drives carried out by the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government.
“Over 700 families were evicted and given alternative sites in Dalgaon, including cash compensation, housing under PMAY, etc. It is also relevant that in the Gorukhuti area, out of over 10,000 applicants who applied for inclusion in the NRC, over 6,000 were rejected in the final list,” Hazarika said.
“This is a National Register of Citizens (NRC) acknowledged by everyone as grossly inaccurate and re-verification will perhaps exclude even the remaining 4,000. A hundred families approached the Gauhati High Court and by order of January 24, 2023, the High Court recorded the concession made on behalf of the state government that 600 families have already been resettled in alternative plots and it is on this basis that the court directed the hundred families also to be settled in alternative sites,” he informed.
“It was not brought to the notice of the court about the large number of encroachers in Gorukhuti not featuring in the NRC,” he added.
“In Silsako, the indigenous population has been inhabitants for decades with government amenities like electricity, etc, and even paying taxes to the municipal corporation. Different standards were adopted for them and were evicted without any notice in the most inhuman manner,” Hazarika reiterated.
He further alleged that the incumbent government had given preferential treatment to those of Bangladeshi origin undermining and making Clause 6 of the Assam Accord irrelevant, including the Clause 6 committee report recommending reservation of land, etc on 1951 NRC basis.
“The chief minister has already made it clear that all encroachers, particularly those of Bangladeshi origin, will be given allotment and under the Mission Basundhara 2.0 encroachers in PGR/VGR land of over 14 lakh bighas will be given settlement if they can furnish proof of encroachment prior to January 1, 2011, and with no proof of citizenship,” the PVM convener said.
“Under the existing laws, encroachers on government land do not qualify for allotment. In fact, under the Assam Land Grabbing Act 2010, encroachment is an offence punishable with imprisonment of up to five years,” he said.
“It is important for people and organisations to realise that if they want to prevent the indigenous from becoming a minority by 2040, land reservation for the indigenous is a must and the policy of allotting land to Bangladeshis will make the process irreversible,” Hazarika cautioned.
Meanwhile, the eviction drive at Silsako Beel has reportedly been halted for ten days following a series of meetings between the chief minister, GMDA officials and evicted since Friday.
Separate meetings were reportedly held on Friday following which the Assam government directed the Kamrup (Metro) district administration and GMDA to halt the eviction drive for ten days.
According to reports, the chief minister has also sought a survey report from the district administration in connection with the eviction and the area under alleged encroachment.
Silsako Beel is a crucial reservoir for storm-water runoff from the city. The Assam government had in 2008 declared Silsako a protected water body, thereby prohibiting construction and settlement in the wetland.
Officials have expressed hope that before the eviction drive is resumed, the families that had settled there would voluntarily vacate the area. A meeting was held between the chief minister and 19 developmental committees of Silsako on Thursday during which the families who had settled there, prior to 2008, were assured resettlement by the government.
Further, the chief minister also assured the committees to acquire lands from people occupying more lands and divide them amongst the evicted families. The chief minister also directed the Kamrup Metro administration and GMDA to submit maps related to demarcation.
The Assam government has maintained that it planned to protect and conserve natural water bodies and water channels in Guwahati to keep artificial floods in the capital city at bay.
Earlier, the chief minister had said that the satellite images clearly indicated that the encroachments in the form of residential structures, offices and institutes in the protected area had taken place during 2009 and 2015.
“Before 2009, the wetland area was free from any encroachment. Therefore, I have instructed the deputy commissioner, Kamrup (Metro) to take steps to immediately shift all institutions such as Hotel Ginger, OKD Institute of Social Change, the tennis court (at Chachal) and office of the Koch-Rajbongshi Sanmilani office from Silsako,” the chief minister had said.
Last Tuesday, the chief minister also informed that Assam would soon have the largest lake at Silsako. “A spectacular model of the proposed Silsako lake has been designed and it will add to the scenic grandeur and ease the perennial artificial flooding in Guwahati,” he had tweeted.
On the other hand, state housing and urban affairs minister Ashok Singhal carried out an aerial survey of various rivers and reservoirs in Guwahati, including Silsako Beel and different parts of the city on Wednesday.
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The minister also inspected the work of “Mission Flood Free Guwahati” in various water channels of the city including Bharalu, Mora Bharalu and Basistha-Bahini rivers.
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