Assam govt to conduct eviction drive to clear 540 hectares of land; 2,500 families to be hit
Dhubri/Goalpara (Assam), Jul 7 (PTI): The Assam government has geared up to clear more than 4,000 bighas (over 540 hectares) of land from alleged encroachments in two districts, with the drive likely to affect around 2,500 families, officials said on Monday.
The administration has firmed up plans to evict 1,200-1,400 families to clear 3,000 bighas of land in three revenue villages in Dhubri on Tuesday, while it will carry out a similar drive displacing around 1,100 families in Goalpara to free around 1,040 bighas of forest land on or after Thursday.
A senior official of the Dhubri district administration told PTI that an eviction drive will begin for clearing land to hand over the same for a proposed thermal power project by the Adani group in Chapor revenue circle.
"We have allotted 3,500 bighas to Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) for handing it over to the Adani group. Out of that, around 3,000 bighas are encroached by 1,200-1,400 families and we will clear that land," he added.
The eviction drive will take place in Charuwa Bakra, Chirakuta and Santoshpur villages, and the villagers were given proper notice to clear the alleged encroached land, the official claimed.
"We have earmarked 300 bighas at Baizar Alga in Athani circle for a temporary rehabilitation of the encroachers. We have also sanctioned Rs 50,000 each and already many people have received the amount before voluntarily leaving their land," he added.
The official said that there are many families who have permanent 'pattas' or land rights in these three villages and the government will start a proper land acquisition process by compensating them as per set standards.
Last month, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had visited the proposed site for the power plant, and announced that a 3,400 MW thermal power plant will be established there and a tender for the project will be floated shortly.
In Goalpara, the district administration will carry out the eviction drive to clear around 1,040 bighas of land in Paikan Reserve Forest of Krishnai Forest Range, Goalpara Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Tejas Mariswamy said.
"There are 1,080 families who have encroached on forest land and we had asked them to vacate it in November-December of last year. We again gave them notice last month to leave the area by July 10," he added.
The DFO said many families have already left the forest, while he hoped that the remaining would also go away within the next two days before the eviction drive starts.
"Since 2023, we have cleared 650 hectares of land from encroachment across four forest ranges. Out of that, human habitation was in 200 hectares and farming was done in the remaining 450 hectares," Mariswamy said.
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Karnataka govt eases age norm for class 1 admissions by 60 days
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government on Thursday announced a 60-day relaxation in the age eligibility norm for class 1 admissions for the 2026-27 academic year, following demands from parents.
Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa made a statement in this regard in the Legislative Assembly.
The government’s move aims to provide relief to parents whose children fell short of the prescribed age limit, as existing rules mandate that children must be six years old by June 1 to be eligible for admission to class 1.
"There has been a demand from parents to relax the six-year age eligibility norm for admission to class 1. They have also submitted a memorandum to me," he said while announcing the decision.
Changes will be made to the admission software accordingly, he added.
Noting that there are issues regarding admissions to LKG and UKG as well, he said, "We will bring in legislation at the earliest to find a permanent solution."
The 60-day relaxation is applicable to LKG, UKG, and class 1, the minister said, adding that since LKG and UKG are not under a regulatory system, a regulatory Act or rules will be introduced by the department in the next session.
