Goalpara (Assam) [India], July 12 (ANI): The Assam administration has started a massive eviction drive in the Paikan Reserve Forest area in Goalpara district on Saturday to evict around 1080 families who illegally encroached on the forest reserve land, officials said on Saturday.

A large number of security personnel have been deployed in the area to maintain the law and order situation.

Tejas Mariswamy, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Goalpara Division, said that there is encroachment in around 140 hectares of land in the Paikan Reserve Forest area, and the High Court has instructed to clear it in order to revive the forest.

'Paikan Reserve Forest area was declared a reserve in 1982. There was an encroachment of nearly 140 hectares. Goalpara has the highest elephant-human conflict in the country. The HC has instructed to clear the encroachment and revive the forest,' DFO Mairswamy told ANI.

The official further said that 650 hectares of land have been cleared amid the ongoing eviction drive in the state.

'Till today, 650 hectares of encroachment have been cleared. By the end of the day today, approximately 790 to 800 hectares of area will be cleared. All man-made structures will be removed to revive the forest,' the DFO said.

He added, 'Here there are around 1080 families, and total man-made structures are around 2700.'

The district administration has used 40 excavators to evict the encroachers from 140 hectares of land in the forest area.

Earlier on Tuesday, a massive eviction drive, described as the largest in Assam's history, took place in the Bilasipara subdivision of Dhubri district. The operation was carried out across Bilasipara East, Chirakuta Charuwabakhra, and Santoshpur areas.

According to officials, the majority of residents vacated the area within the deadline earlier issued by the administration, relocating along with their households and belongings.

The drive was conducted over approximately 3,500 bighas of land, earmarked for the construction of a thermal power project estimated to cost Rs 40,000 crore. (ANI)