Operation Paikan-Assam Forest Reclamation Drive: Goalpara Clears 1,040 Bighas of Encroached Land

I. Operation Paikan: Clearing Encroachments in Protected Forest Land

On July 12, 2025, the Assam Forest Department began a large-scale eviction drive in the Paikan Reserve Forest, located in Goalpara district. The operation targets 1,080 families who had unlawfully settled on approximately 140 hectares (1,040 bighas) of forest land under the Krishnai Range.

The eviction was carried out following a directive from the Gauhati High Court, which instructed the state to remove all encroachments from protected forest zones. Notices were served to occupants in December 2024 and again in June 2025, with a final deadline set for July 10.

Key operational details:

• 40+ excavators and 1,000+ security personnel deployed
• Focus areas: Bidyapara and Betbari zones
• 2,070 concrete structures scheduled for demolition
• Drive postponed by one day to accommodate Friday prayers

Officials confirmed that 95% of occupants vacated voluntarily before the eviction began.

II. Legal Mandate and Conservation Goals

The Paikan Reserve Forest, notified in 1982, has seen increasing encroachment over the past two decades. The forest is part of a critical wildlife corridor, and Goalpara district has recorded the highest human-elephant conflict rates in India.

The eviction aligns with Assam’s broader forest conservation strategy:

• 650 hectares of encroached land cleared since 2023 across four forest ranges
• Restoration of degraded forest ecosystems
• Reduction of crop damage and wildlife fatalities due to habitat disruption

District Forest Officer Tejas Mariswamy stated:

“Goalpara’s ecological integrity is at risk. Clearing encroachments is essential to protect biodiversity and reduce conflict.”

The operation is part of a state-wide campaign to reclaim forest land and enforce environmental regulations.

III. Execution Strategy and Future Outlook

The eviction drive was conducted with logistical precision:

• Joint teams from the Forest Department and Assam Police ensured law and order
• Public announcements via loudspeakers urged voluntary compliance
• Senior officials oversaw the operation to prevent disruption

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reiterated the government’s commitment to reclaiming all encroached forest and government land across Assam. The administration has indicated that similar drives will continue in other districts.

While political parties have raised concerns over the scale and timing of the operation, the government maintains that the drive is legally mandated and ecologically necessary.

IV. Conservation vs Controversy: What Lies Ahead

The eviction drive is part of Assam’s broader push to reclaim forest land and restore ecological integrity. Officials cite:

• Rising elephant fatalities and crop damage
• Degradation of wildlife corridors
• Pressure from the High Court to act swiftly

However, the operation also raises complex questions:

• Can conservation coexist with humane resettlement?
• Is the eviction legally sound but ethically fraught?
• Will displaced families receive long-term support or fade into invisibility?

The administration insists the drive is not politically motivated but rooted in environmental urgency. Yet, the optics of bulldozers razing homes in minority-dominated areas have sparked national debate.

As Assam continues its forest reclamation campaign, the Goalpara eviction stands as a flashpoint of policy, politics, and people, a test of how India balances ecological revival with social justice.

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