Guwahati: A survey to identify list of flood and erosion victims, who were evicted from the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary on the peripheries of Guwahati earlier this week, has been started by the Assam government for rehabilitation.
Informing this, Kamrup (metro) deputy commissioner, Dr M Angamuthu said, “At the instruction of the chief minister, we have initiated the process to identify those people among the evicted illegal settlers in Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary, who had earlier lost their land in flood and erosion. The state government will ensure their rehabilitation in and around Guwahati.”
Circle officers of the district have already been instructed to identify land for rehabilitation of these flood and erosion victims, he said, adding that the victims’ credentials will be cross-referenced with records from the original districts from where they hailed.
To a question on any government initiative to shelter the hundreds of families, including the flood and erosion victims, who were rendered homeless in the eviction drive, Dr Angamuthu said there is no policy on this matter.
The deputy commissioner further said a separate list of students affected in the eviction drive is being prepared, also as per the directives of the chief minister.
He said ‘best alternate arrangements’ would be made for these students to pursue their education, while for those students appearing for class X, XI, XII or college examinations, all possible support, including accommodation and food, would be provided.
Meanwhile, the eviction has been stopped in the residential areas within the wildlife sanctuary following the latest order of Gauhati High Court in this regard.
However, survey of commercial establishments in the area was going on and these would be evicted shortly, the deputy commissioner said.
The eviction drive in the residential areas inside Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary was suspended it after two days following a plea by the state government for more time. The eviction drive was launched on November 27 at instruction of the High Court. More than 1000 houses and other structures, including a school and places of worship, were demolished during the two-day drive.