GUWAHATI, June 14 ? The eviction drives launched by the Forest Department at the directive of the Supreme Court, to free the State?s forest areas from encroachment may stand suspended during this monsoon and the State Government on June 17 will take stock of the overall situation relating to the on going eviction operations. Disclosing this at a press conference here this afternoon Minister of State for Forests (Independent Charge) Pradyut Bardoloi said that the State Government wanted to adopt a humanitarian approach which made a review of the overall situation a necessity.
While reminded of the deadline of September 30 next fixed by the Union Environment and Forest Ministry for the completion of eviction operations, Sri Bardoloi said, ?We will ask the Centre to grant us some more time, beyond September 30, considering the monsoon, flood and also on humanitarian ground?. He also said that the State Government would also consider the issue of rehabilitation of the deserving families while reviewing the situation. But, when asked as to what prevented the State Government from taking into consideration all such factors before going for the eviction drives, Sri Bardoloi had no answer. Moreover, he had also to fumble when asked as to whether today?s announcement of the State Government would not embolden the forces crying hoarse against the eviction drives.
However, Sri Bardoloi maintained that the interest of posterity, the State Government was firm to free the forests from encroachment. There will be no compromise on the issue, he asserted. The State Government is attaching priority to evictions in wildlife sanctuaries and National Parks, he added. Already 11,554 hectares of the about 6,000 sq km forest area under encroachment, have been cleared of encroachment and to prevent re-encroachment on these areas the State Forest Department will undertake massive afforestation, he said, making an appeal to the people, NGOs and other organisations to extend help to the afforestation drive.
The State has now 20,271 sq kms of notified reserve forests but due to encroachment and tree felling the State had 1,063 sq kms of its forest depleted between 1991-1999. Unlike Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh which could add 210 sq km and 96 sq kms of forest respectively, the State has not been able to add any new forest area to its existing ones, during the period, he said, adding, the forest cover of the State has now come down to 16 per cent against the stipulated 33 per cent. He also made an appeal to all the organisations calling for a bandh tomorrow in protest against the eviction drives not to politicise the issue and to withdraw the bandh call they have given on the issue.
The maps of the forests will be displayed in the DFO offices of the State to remove the confusion among the people over the boundaries of the forest areas, he said. The Forest Department has so far evicted 12,529 families from the forest areas and around one lakh families remain to be evicted to clear the State?s forest areas from encroachment.