Assam’s Minister of Border Protection and Development, Atul Bora, is reported to have said today that Nagaland has encroached into Assam’s territory 28 times over the past two years. Bora provided these details in response to a question posed by Leader of the Opposition Debabarata Saikia during the ongoing budget session of the Assam Assembly, India Today NE reported.
As per the report, the minister highlighted that, among these incidents, three encroachments occurred in the last two years in Sivasagar district at Ougurijan Grant village in Nazira circle. However, it was stated that they were prevented from advancing further and pushed back.
Bora also reported an eviction drive in Sivasagar district’s Geleki police station area on 10 December 2023. Authorities, including forest officials and the police, visited the encroached site and demolished illegal structures within Assam’s territory, he said.
It was also stated by the Assam minister that, on 29 July 2023, a group of 40 individuals from Nagaland’s Peren district entered Herailo village in Dima Hasao district, claiming the area as part of Nagaland and allegedly demolished houses but prompt action by SDPO Maibong and the acting magistrate prevented the situation from escalating.
Bora also detailed 21 instances of encroachment in Karbi Anglong district along the interstate border with Nagaland. He assured that steps were taken to rectify these encroachments through eviction drives.
In Jorhat district, Bora highlighted two incidents in Disoi Valley. The first occurred on 1 January 2023, involving the cutting of 97 trees in the protected forest area. The second incident, on 10 February 2023, saw the construction of an illegal sawmill and a road in the reserved forest of Disoi Valley. Bora said that dialogue between magistrates from both sides resolved the matter, leading to the removal of the sawmill by Nagaland authorities.
Responding to queries about Nagaland’s obstruction of an embankment construction in Golaghat district, Bora refuted the claims, citing data from the water resource department. He clarified that no such work had been undertaken in the specified area.
Regarding obstructions in development work near the border areas, Bora acknowledged incidents during embankment construction on the rivers Mera and Jiyo. He stated that the involvement of district magistrates, along with the police and central forces, resolved the matter. Bora further stated that monitoring is being done to ensure no such incident happens ever again, it was reported.