Nagaon: There were no bulldozers this time. No metallic growl tearing through the undergrowth. Instead, three domesticated elephants moved steadily across the fields at East Phutaljar, under the Rupahihat constituency, leading an eviction drive undertaken by the Nagaon Wildlife Division to clear protected forest land (Elephant-Led Eviction).
The Operation at Garajan Range
The action focused on encroachments within the jurisdiction of the Garajan Range Office of the Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary. According to officials, despite repeated warnings from the Wildlife Department, a group of encroachers had occupied several bighas of land along the Silghat–Dhing embankment.
The land, authorities said, falls under protected forest. Yet Boro paddy saplings had been planted there, allegedly in violation of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. On Saturday, the department moved in.
Rather than deploy heavy machinery, three departmental elephants were brought to the site. Under supervision, they systematically destroyed the standing Boro crops. By the end of the operation, the cultivated stretch had been cleared, and the reserve land brought back under the sanctuary’s control.
A Different Picture at Singimari
While the action at East Phutaljhar was swift and visible, the situation near the Singimari Beat Office in the Samaguri constituency remains unresolved.
Here, thousands of bighas of protected land are reportedly still under illegal occupation. Farming and fish cultivation continue on a large scale. The encroachment, locals say, has persisted for years.
Allegations circulating in the area suggest that the roots of the issue go back to the previous Congress administration. It is widely claimed that during that period, panchayat representatives and party workers, backed by political patronage, excavated large ponds for commercial fish farming within forest land.
Further claims allege that influential individuals lent money to poor residents and took forest land as mortgage, consolidating control over the occupied areas. At the time, discussions often centered on the Wildlife Department’s inability to act, reportedly due to the influence of powerful ministers and MLAs.
Even now, despite the current state government’s stated zero-tolerance policy toward illegal encroachment, activities at Singimari are said to be continuing in full view of forest authorities.
The contrast is stark. At East Phutaljhar, three elephants cleared several bighas in a day. At Singimari, thousands of bighas remain under occupation — and questions continue to linger.
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