Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday, 27 May 2026 shared a video update showing the ecological recovery of Dahikata Reserve Forest in Goalpara district, months after the state conducted an anti-encroachment drive in the area in November 2025.

Context

The Chief Minister posted the footage on X, noting that the forest land cleared during last November's drive is 'flourishing with greenery and is proudly hosting our faunal friends.' The video documents visible vegetation regrowth and the return of wildlife to the reclaimed area.

Dahikata Reserve Forest falls within Goalpara, a district in western Assam that borders the Brahmaputra river and contains significant forest tracts. The district has been among the focal points of the state's forest-protection push under the current administration.

Policy Backdrop

The Assam government has conducted coordinated anti-encroachment operations across multiple reserve forests since 2021, when Himanta Biswa Sarma assumed office as Chief Minister. The stated objective has been to reclaim illegally occupied forest land and allow degraded ecosystems to regenerate naturally.

Similar operations have been carried out in districts including Lakhimpur and Nagaon, forming part of a broader, statewide effort to address land-use pressures and protect biodiversity. The Dahikata drive in November 2025 was one chapter in this continuing campaign.

Reserve forests in Assam have faced sustained encroachment pressure over decades, driven by demographic shifts and agricultural expansion. Restoring these areas requires not only eviction but sustained monitoring to prevent re-encroachment and allow flora and fauna to re-establish.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of the reclamation are the forest ecosystem itself — the vegetation cover and wildlife populations that depend on intact habitat. Assam's forest department personnel have been central to both the eviction operations and the subsequent monitoring of recovery.

Local wildlife, whose habitat had been degraded or fragmented by encroachments, stand to gain from restored forest corridors. The video shared by CM Sarma is presented by the government as evidence that ecological recovery is measurable and visible within months of clearing encroachments.

What's Next

The Assam forest department is expected to continue monitoring regeneration in Dahikata and other reclaimed forest pockets. Follow-up phases targeting remaining encroached areas in Goalpara and neighbouring districts remain a possibility as the administration maintains pressure on illegal occupation of reserve forests.

The broader test will be whether recovered areas can be protected from fresh encroachment over the long term — a challenge that has historically undermined forest-restoration gains across India's northeast.