Merapani, August 18: The Assam government is preparing to resume an eviction drive against 59 families living at No. 2 Negheribil along the Assam-Nagaland border, following a Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for the Golaghat district administration and Forest Department to proceed.
Officials visited the border settlement on Sunday and served a final notice to the remaining families, asking them to vacate by August 18. Authorities have numbered the houses and carried out a detailed survey of the area using drone cameras as part of preparations for the operation.
The proposed eviction comes after a prolonged legal battle. The Forest Department had earlier evicted 205 families from No. 2 Negheribil, while the remaining 59 families obtained a stay after approaching the Gauhati High Court and subsequently the Supreme Court.
Officials said that if the families do not leave by the deadline, the Golaghat administration is likely to launch the eviction drive.
The development comes amid renewed efforts by Assam and Nagaland to keep their long-running border dispute from escalating.
Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister and Minister in charge of Home and Border Affairs, Y. Patton, met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati on July 29 to discuss inter-state relations, cooperation and proposed oil and gas exploration along the border.
Patton has maintained that border issues should be addressed through dialogue, joint action and coordination between the two states, while respecting existing agreements, including the 1972 Interim Agreement.
Nagaland has also maintained that while it supports action against illegal encroachment, evictions and other activities in sensitive border areas should be carried out in coordination with the administrations of both states to prevent tensions.
The latest move therefore puts the focus not only on the legal clearance for eviction but also on how Assam and Nagaland manage the operation on the ground.
With the deadline now approaching, the situation at No. 2 Negheribil is being closely watched as both states seek to balance enforcement against encroachment with their stated commitment to maintaining peace along the disputed border.
