People of neighbouring Mizoram have encroached on nearly 1,800 hectares of Assam land spread across three districts, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in the assembly on Monday. The chief minister’s statement came on the backdrop of tension between the two Northeastern states following alleged encroachment of land in Cachar district by the people of Mizoram.
In a written reply to a query by All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA Suzam Uddin Laskar, Sarma said that a total of 1,777.58 hectares of land in Barak Valley region have been taken over by encroachers from Mizoram. Out of this, the largest area of 1,000 hectares have been encroached in Hailakandi district, followed by 400 hectares in Cachar and 377.58 hectares in Karimganj, he added.
Sarma, who also holds the Home portfolio, said that various preventive measures like patrolling and area domination have been taken by the Assam Police in order to free the encroached land and protect the people living on the Assam side. “Altogether nine Border Out Posts (BOP) have been established in Hailakandi, Karimganj and Cachar districts sharing border along Assam-Mizoram. Out of the nine BOPs, six are in Hailakandi, two are in Karimganj and one is in Cachar,” he added.