Eviction drive must to expose covetous elements
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: December 08, 2022 -

As mentioned in this column earlier, settlers with or without land document would definitely put up stiff resistance against any sort of eviction drive, be it to preserve the reserved forests in the hills or for expansion of roads and execution of major projects in the plains as had been witnessed in the past many years when encroachers dared to confront the government authorities.

Among the recent cases of clashes that broke out between locals and government agencies entrusted to drive out unauthorised settlers and dismantle structures, the incidents at Laipham Siphai, Mantripukhri, Langol Reserved Forest and Waithou Reserved Forest to name a few areas and the latest showdown at Kangchup Chiru village made it crystal clear that no eviction drive would be smooth sailing.

The violent clash that broke out on Tuesday at Kangchup Chiru Reserved Forest that caused injuries to at-least 10 people, including personnel of Forest Department and police when the villagers raised objection to the eviction drive should make the government authorities aware that they must utilise adequate manpower and machinery to ensure effective implementation of government's effort to consolidate and demarcate the boundaries of notified forest areas of the state.

Without any doubt, the confrontation could have been bloody had the police personnel not exercised restrained and resorted to firing of live rounds. As such, the villagers should feel relieved and lucky that the retaliatory action from the eviction team was limited to unleashing tear gas shells and exploding stunt bombs to counter the deadlier stone pelting attack from the locals.

As the settlers at Kangchup Chiru Reserved Forest and all other areas, where evictions drives were carried out earlier, defied prior notice for vacating the government land, taking suitable measures to make the drive effective wouldn't generate public backlash with exception of those who tried to take undue advantage of absence of government agencies.

Similar to Tuesday's drive led by Divisional Forest Officer, Kangpokpi N Ganesh having the company of around 300 forest department and police personnel, it is recommended that all future initiatives to sanitise government land and reserved forest areas from the encroachers should have adequate security cover.

The audacity of the Kangchup Chiru villagers to block the road instead of honouring the eviction order served days earlier and belittling the spirit of on-the-spot parleys with the eviction team, rings out the message that the government must have steely resolve to complete such tasks.

Moreover, there should be no ambiguity on the part of the government when it comes to reclaiming public land from encroachers and protecting areas declared as reserved forests.

There had been unwanted incidents of violent confrontations between locals and government agencies during eviction drives carried out in certain pockets in the past and similar problems would unavoidably crop up as and when the government takes up action against illegal occupants of government land or reserved forests.

Nevertheless, the government authorities should do the needful to free public spaces from covetous elements, who live under the impression that putting up some sort of resistance, drawing sympathy from kindred community or dragging the government to the law court would compel the establishment to retract and they would eventually possess the illegally acquired land.