India News | Over 3.35 Lakh Hectares of Forest Land Encroached in Assam: Minister

Guwahati, Mar 6 (PTI) Over 3.35 lakh hectares of reserved forest land in Assam is under encroachment, including by neighbouring states, Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said in the assembly on Thursday.

Nearly 11,000 hectares have been cleared of encroachment by the government since 2021, he added.

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Replying to a question from Asom Gana Parishad MLA Pradip Hazarika, Patowary said the total reserved forest area under encroachment in the state is about 3,35,322.60 hectares.

Of these, 2,50,350.0666 hectares have been encroached by people of the state, 83,811.3978 hectares by neighbouring states and 1,161.136 hectares by tea gardens.

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The minister said eviction drives are being undertaken routinely as per the Assam Forest Act, 1891, and regular patrolling is conducted by forest guards.

A total of 10,905.859 hectares have been cleared of encroachment from 2021-22 till December 2024, he said.

Patowary said there are 323 reserved forests in the state at present.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)