Guwahati eviction on for 9th day

The administration today demolished 123 dwelling across the Assam state capital on the ninth day of the eviction drive to clear the wetlands of the city.
During the exercise, which started after the worst-ever flood in the city in the last week of June, the Kamrup Metro district administration has so far pulled down 1,092 'kachcha' and concrete houses at different paces and cleared over 199 bighas of government land.
The drive being carried out with the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority and Guwahati Municipal Corporation demolished houses on the banks of Mora Bharalu, Basistha and Bahini rivers, flowing through the city, an official release said.

A large number of policemen were present during the demolition.
Regarding people displaced during the eviction drive, the authority decided to give them temporary shelter, but would not give any settlement benefits as they were encroachers on government land.
The authority identified 366 places on 19 hillocks surrounding the city as landslide-prone and asked the people living there to shift to safer locations till the monsoon was over.
Meanwhile, the GMDA gave directions against construction or development activities, even if permission was obtained, in hilly terrain, water bodies and low-lying areas involving earth cutting and earth filling till the current monsoon was over.

During the flood and landslides in Guwahati last month nine persons had died.