Cachar district on Thursday filed a case before the court against certain officials of the Mizoram government for claimed “encroachment of its forest land and intentional destruction of forests” across the state border.
The case was filed by the people of Mizoram on the backdrop of tension between the two Northeastern states following claimed encroachment of land in the Cachar district.
Forest Officer of Cachar district Sani Deo Choudhury filed the application against the Superintendent of Police and Deputy Superintendent of Police of Mizoram’s Kolasib district and along with his team of officials of CRPF’s 22 Battalion and the India Reserve Battalion of the neighbouring state.
The case was filed under various sections of the Assam Forest Regulation Act.
Whoever commits the offence of conviction shall be punished for a term not less than three years, which may extend to seven years or with a fine, or with both.
In the meeting, Forest Officer in charge Choudhury later advised PTI that encroaches and miscreants from the neighbouring state have reportedly destroyed valuable trees as well as the forest.
Cachar forest department has been planning to take more strict measures to stop encroachment and protect Assam’s forests along the inter-state border.
Assam and Mizoram share a 164.6 km boundary and the boundary demarcation has remained a controversial issue.
A few days ago people of Mizoram have reportedly entered up to 6.5 kilometers inside Assam land in the Khulicherra area of the district, following which the Police of Assam along with civil administration carried out to force out.
An additional number of 300 Assam Police have been approved on the border to prevent any bid of encroachment from the Mizoram side.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on July 12alleged that the people from Mizoram have encroached on nearly 1,800 hectares of Assam land spread across the three districts.
A chief secretary-level talk and DGP’s of Assam and Mizoram was held in New Delhi on July 9.
Mizoram was one of the districts of Assam till 1972 when it was carved out as a Union Territory. It became the 23rd state OF India, a step above Union Territory, on 20 February 1987 following the historic Mizoram Accord between the past underground Mizo National Front(MNF) and the Centre, ending 20 years of insurgency in the state.