GUWAHATI, May 23 ? ?We have been living here for over 50 years and today all of a sudden we have become homeless because of the Government?s eviction drive. This is despite the fact that we have been paying taxes for eksania land for all these years?, Sri Rojen Marak of Garobasti Kalapani lamented as his house was razed to the ground along with those 30-odd families in the area today.
The Garobasti area presented a very gloomy picture. The people, including children and infants, were left stranded in the rain with whatever little belongings they had exposed to the elements. ?Even now, we cannot go anywhere because we are too poor to afford it. They could have done us a favour by killing us,? Sri Marak said, adding ?we are being made foreigners on our own land. We were not even served with any notice?, he rued. Sri Oijen Marak also echoed his sentiments, ?The local MLA has not even bothered to visit us. We are always at the receiving end because we are poor and illiterate. They have not spared even the trees and vegetables. All have been destroyed.?
Meanwhile, the residents of Ambari Bishnunagar Nizarapar too are spending sleepless nights because of the fear of imminent eviction. Prabhat Das, the president of the local Unnayan committee, said even those persons having myadi patta land have now been included inside ?forest land?. Many persons have already sent their belongings to safer places. ?Most of the people here have been living for several decades, paying all kinds of taxes to the Government. Besides, they have land holding Nos, electricity connection, telephone connection, etc. If they are encroachers, why were they provided with these facilities?? he questioned.