Debabrata Saikia

Guwahati: Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia on Monday moved Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, seeking steps to prevent possible violence along the Assam-Nagaland border in Sivasagar district, likely to be triggered by fresh encroachment.

In a letter to Sonowal, Saikia said 59 villagers in Bihubor under Nazira subdivision in Sivasagar district complained to them about encroachment of an old cemetery in Assam and frequent intimidation by goons from Nagaland.

He said unidentified men on May 24 cut down bushes of Ouguri tea estate under Bihubor police station and occupied the land but it was reclaimed by police the next day.

“The encroachers continued to cut bushes and occupied an old cemetery inside Assam. They are using excavators to clear land for habitation and cultivation. Some people told me that such encroachment is being supported and encouraged by some Assam-based businessmen who carry out quarrying and illegal sand mining. Such activities are not only illegal but also causing serious damage to the environment. These illegal activities are centred around the Dikhow river in Ougurijan but has not yet spread to Ouguri tea estate,” Saikia’s letter said.

Saikia, the Congress MLA from Nazira, said he had already written to the state forest department in January this year seeking action against these activities.

“It is obvious that a violent confrontation is on the cards. So you can collect feedback from the local police and the district administration for preventive steps to check violence. If required, the number of security personnel in the area should be increased,” he said.

Saikia also urged Sonowal to take up the issue of frequent encroachment with his Nagaland counterpart.

The long border conflict between Assam and Nagaland has kept the border districts like Sivasagar, Golaghat and Charaideo tense and had triggered violence in the past. A case pertaining to the border conflict is pending in the Supreme Court.

SUMIR KARMAKAR Telegraph India