200 square km tree plantation in Assam in last 5 years: CM Sarma

Guwahati, March 20 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday that the state government has taken a mass plantation initiative in the last five years and plantations were done that take account for more than 200 square kilometre which is bigger than the area of Guwahati city.

CM Sarma said, "Assam is scripting a success story in environment conservation. In the last five years, we have undertaken tree plantations in more than 200 sq. km -- as big as Guwahati city."

The CM has given priority in freeing up land from encroachment for the last four years.

According to CM Sarma, a forest area of 100 sq. km was freed up -- an area as big as Chandigarh from encroachment.

The state administration has undertaken several anti-enroachment drives since Himanta Biswa Sarma became the Chief Minister of the state.

The Opposition has also alleged that CM Sarma has politicised the encroachment and the minorities were targeted in the anti-encroachment drives.

Earlier, in September last year, in the Sonapur area of the Kamrup district, a routine anti-encroachment drive descended into violence.

A violent clash broke out between the local police and the residents when the police attempted to remove what they believed to be unlawful colonies on a 100-bigha tract of land that housed nearly 150 people, resulting in the deaths of two residents and injury to several others.

Juwahid Ali and Haider Ali were identified as the two deceased victims.

Both the persons were pronounced dead at the Sonapur District Hospital after suffering injuries that were allegedly caused by police shooting.

In addition to the deaths, the violence caused a number of injuries, one of which was to Shahjahan Ali, who was shot in the leg.

During the clash, at least 22 policemen, including a woman Constable and Revenue Circle Officer Nitul Khatoniar got injured.

They were rushed to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital to receive urgent treatment.

The encroachers reportedly threw rocks at the police and authorities on Thursday, the fourth day of the anti-encroachment drive, damaging and vandalising several police vehicles.

Witnesses said that they were also attacked with sticks and other dangerous objects.

According to them, the paramilitary and police personnel opened fire to bring the spot under control.

According to sources, there was little to no security presence during the first three days of the anti-encroachment campaign.

In a statement, the Assam Police said that 248 bigha (155 acres) of government land and 237 illegal buildings built in the tribal zone by unauthorised individuals have been cleared.

In September 2021, two people were killed and 15 policemen were injured when a clash broke out between alleged encroachers and the police during an anti-encroachment drive in Assam's Gorukhuti village.

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