GUWAHATI: Authorities launched a massive eviction drive in Guwahati’s Jalukbari area as part of a major crackdown against illegal encroachment over railway land.
ALSO READ: Police Officer Accused of Assaulting Youth Without Provocation in Guwahati’s Panjabari
The joint operation, which began on Friday, May 29, is being carried out by the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Assam Police.
Bulldozers were deployed to demolish more than 200 allegedly illegal house-like structures that had extensively occupied the marshy stretch of land in the area.
This marks the first time the railway authorities have undertaken a large-scale clearance of encroached land specifically in Jalukbari.
Speaking to GPlus, a police official from Jalukbari Police Station said the operation would continue till late evening to ensure that the entire targeted stretch is completely cleared of unauthorised occupancy.
An official from the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) told GPlus that the land is being cleared to facilitate the construction of a proposed rail-cum-road bridge over the Brahmaputra River, which is expected to be completed by 2029.
At present, the existing Saraighat Bridge over the Brahmaputra carries only a single railway line. The proposed bridge is expected to enhance capacity and help decongest railway traffic in the region.