Dibrugarh: The Dibrugarh district administration carried out a massive eviction drive along the Brahmaputra riverbank in the Maijan area on Monday, removing around 60 families who had illegally occupied the land for more than a decade.
The families were found to be living on nine bighas of government land along the riverbank, with some having even constructed permanent RCC houses. Many residents claimed they had paid large sums to land brokers—ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh—believing the plots to be legal.
“Seven years ago, we paid Rs 1.5 lakh to a broker who assured us that the land was legal. Now we have lost both our money and our home,” said an evicted woman.
The eviction was carried out following an order from the District and Sessions Court, Dibrugarh, after due notices had been served to the occupants.
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A large police force was deployed as a precautionary measure, but the operation proceeded peacefully as residents removed their belongings before excavators demolished the structures.
Circle Officer of Dibrugarh East Revenue Circle, Samujjwal Borah, said, “We had made adequate security arrangements keeping in mind the scale of the eviction, but the residents cooperated fully with the administration. There was no untoward incident during the entire operation.”
Meanwhile, several residents who lost their homes demanded action against the illegal brokers.
“It is evident that we all fell victim to fraudulent land brokers who illegally sold us government land for their personal profit. There was an organised racket operating behind these settlements, and we hope the authorities will take action against those brokers,” said one of the evicted residents.
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