Assam: Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council set to evict ‘encroachers’ from grazing land

The Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) announced that it would conduct evictions from all such areas, where people have settled in the Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) and Village Grazing Reserve (VGR).

KAAC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Tuliram Ronghang made the announcement after two rounds of review meetings with sitting and former autonomous council members, representatives of student bodies, other organisations, and political parties.

The meeting was held to resolve the issue following a clash between members of two communities over land settlement in the PGR and VGR areas in West Karbi Anglong district last week in which seven people were injured and 17 arrested.

Ronghang said notices for the eviction of all “illegal settlers” on village grazing reserve (VGR) and proposed grazing reserve (PGR) land under the autonomous council would be issued starting Wednesday.

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The KAAC has jurisdiction over the two tribal-majority hill districts of Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong.

“In line with the Supreme Court’s order, we have decided to conduct evictions of the encroachers. From tomorrow, we will begin issuing notices for all the encroachers on these lands under the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council. In line with the court order, we will also begin making an SOP for it,” he said.

Further in a notice issued by the Principal Secretary, KAAC states, "In exercise of the power conferred under Paragraph 3(1)(a) of the 6th Schedule to the Constitution of India, the Karbi Anglong autonomous Council enacted the Karbi Anglong (Land & Revenue) Act, 1953 by which Assam Land and Revenue Regulation 1886 along with the Rules are adopted by the KAAC Settlement Rule 18 empowers the authority to evict the unauthorised occupants from the Government as well as Grazing lands. Therefore, the authority of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council taking into account the unauthorized possession of PGR/VGR land by the encroachers, directs the Assistant Revenue Officer, Donika Revenue Circle to take the necessary steps for eviction of unauthorized occupants."