Guwahati: Over 80,000 hectares of Assam's
territory is under illegal encroachment of five neighbouring
states, the government said today.
In a written reply to the state legislative assembly,
Assam Border Areas Minister of State Siddique Ahmed said the
land is under occupation of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh,
Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura.
The encroached lands are in 14 districts of Assam --
Tinsukia, Sibsagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Kamrup Metro, Kamrup
Rural, Goalpara, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Karbi Anglong,
Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj.
Over 59,000 hectares have been encroached by Nagaland
followed by 15,000 hectares by Arunachal Pradesh and the rest
by the three other states, Ahmed said.
The minister added that Assam has already approached the
Supreme Court to have the lands occupied by Nagaland and
Arunachal Pradesh back. In addition, efforts are being made by
Revenue and Forest departments to evict the encroachers.
Ahmed also said that Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's
residence in Khanapara locality of Guwahati lies within
Assam's borders.
The Chief Minister's residence had come into limelight
earlier this month with a Meghalaya legislator stating that
Gogoi should be asked to vacate his official residence or else
pay house rent to the Meghalaya government.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, March 28, 2012, 15:24