Demonstration against government eviction notice

GUWAHATI: Opposing the move of the state government of evicting families residing on a hillock in Patgaon in Kamrup (Metro) district to set up a campus of the Krishna Kanta Handique State Open University, angry locals staged a demonstration in front of the Azara revenue circle office here on Monday.
Protesters moved the office of the Azara revenue circle chanting anti-government slogans.They submitted a memorandum to the circle officer urging him to stop the eviction of families living in Patgaon. The protesters accused the officials of conspiracy, saying that there is no need to evict families as there is enough land in the area where the university campus can still come up.
"The 35 families that received notices from the administration to vacate their houses are paying revenue to the government. The lands on which their houses were built were brought under the ceiling surplus land through the Ceiling Act, 1959. We are not opposing establishment of the university. The university campus can be established without demolishing the houses of the 150 families living on the hillock as there are over 100 bighas of land in the area," Dinesh Das, president of the Sangrami Krishak Shramik Sangha (SKSS) said.
SKSS vowed to intensify its protests if the administration goes ahead with its eviction drive plan. "The families got power connection under the Rajiv Gandhi Gramya Vaidyutikaran Scheme. Some even got houses under the Indira Awas Yojana. How can the administration issue an eviction order without consulting the families?" questioned Das.
"We will die but not allow them demolish our houses. We will go to any extent to save our homes," said Suren Deka, a resident of the area. He added families received a notice from the Azara circle officer last week.