The Assam government is set to launch a comprehensive survey across Guwahati to identify individuals occupying footpaths, paving the way for an eviction drive aimed at restoring public spaces and improving urban infrastructure, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on June 15.
Speaking at a press conference at the party’s state headquarters in Guwahati, Assam BJP spokesperson Ranjib Kumar Sharma said the proposed exercise is part of a broader effort to remove unauthorised encroachments from pavements and reclaim public areas for citizens.
Sharma alleged that certain individuals had occupied footpaths and established commercial activities on public walkways, causing inconvenience to residents. He also claimed that some of these activities were associated with wider social and demographic concerns.
According to the BJP leader, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has already announced plans for the survey and the subsequent eviction exercise. Sharma said party workers would extend full support to the government to ensure the initiative is implemented effectively.
He further alleged that several small business spaces located on sidewalks were transferred from indigenous communities during the tenure of the previous Congress-led government. The current administration, he said, intends to identify such cases and reclaim those areas.
“The government will conduct a survey to identify these individuals and take eviction measures. Small businesses on sidewalks that were taken from indigenous people and handed over during the earlier regime will be reclaimed, and efforts will be made to return them to local communities,” Sharma said.
The survey is expected to begin on August 16 and forms part of a larger urban development strategy, according to the BJP spokesperson. He said the state government has already undertaken a series of infrastructure and beautification initiatives, including road improvement projects and flyover enhancement works, and believes that freeing up public pathways will contribute to a more organised and visually improved city.
Sharma added that BJP workers would cooperate with the authorities throughout the survey and eviction process to facilitate its smooth execution.
