Jamuna–Moudanga Forest Eviction Puts Doboka Villagers on Edge Ahead of Jan 2 Drive

Long-standing illegal encroachments in the Jamuna–Moudanga Reserve Forest, located near Doboka in Hojai district, are set to face eviction following a detailed survey conducted by the Forest Department, which revealed that thousands of bighas of reserved forest land are under unlawful occupation.

Acting under the directives of the South Nagaon Forest Division, the Forest Department under the Yamuna Valley Range Office has completed the survey and issued eviction notices to more than 1,200 encroachers. The notices were served to individuals who had allegedly established villages, constructed houses, felled trees, excavated ponds, planted commercial crops such as betel nut and betel leaf, and carried out farming activities inside the reserved forest under the jurisdiction of the Doboka Range Office.

The notices state that such activities constitute punishable offences under Sections 24 and 25 of the Assam Forest Act, 1891 (as amended in 1992). They also refer to directives issued by the Gauhati High Court in Suo Moto PIL No. 1/2022 and WA No. 251/2025 and WA No. 252/2025 (dated August 18, 2025), which mandate the removal of illegal encroachments from reserved forest areas. In line with court orders, encroachers were granted an initial 15-day notice period, followed by an additional 15 days, to vacate the land.

Following the issuance of the notices, a sense of anxiety and uncertainty has gripped the Udmari area of Doboka. While some encroachers have begun dismantling their houses and relocating voluntarily, many economically weaker families have expressed distress, fearing the loss of their homes and cultivated land.

The district administration has meanwhile confirmed that an eviction drive will be carried out on January 2, with announcements being made through public address systems over the past few days. Both the Forest Department and the district administration have stated that all preparations for the operation are complete.

Amid the developing situation, the MLA from the Binnakandi constituency, accompanied by party leaders and workers, met Hojai District Commissioner Vidyut Bikash Bhagwati and submitted a memorandum. The memorandum urged the administration to make immediate arrangements for providing land to landless families and requested that the eviction process be conducted peacefully and with dignity.

The timing of the eviction, scheduled close to the New Year, has sparked reactions across the region. Local residents have raised concerns that the drive, coming at a time when annual examinations are approaching, could adversely affect the education of students.

With legal obligations to protect reserved forests onews n one hand and humanitarian concerns of displaced villagers on the other, the eviction drive in the Jamuna–Moudanga Reserve Forest has emerged as a highly sensitive and closely watched issue in the region.

Also Read: 265 Bighas of Land to Be Cleared as Eviction Begins in Baghmari, Biswanath