After clearing encroachments in three villages of Kaziranga National Park last week, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has asked all the Deputy Commissioners and Superintendent of Police in Assam to clear encroachments on Government lands across the State.

Sonowal said this on Thursday while addressing a conference of the DCs and SPs at Guwahati and called upon DCs and SPs of all districts to be proactive in freeing State lands from encroachers.

He also called upon the officials to be fearless and free from any pressure to act sternly against encroachers and said that people of the State have shown tremendous support to the Government in freeing the encroached lands, particularly in forest areas.

It may be mentioned here that thousands of hectares of Government land in Assam, particularly in forest areas and belonging to Vaishnavite temples and religious places has been encroached. Reiterating that sealing Indo-Bangladesh Border is a top priority for the Government, the Chief Minister said the security of the whole country would be compromised if the border is allowed to remain porous. “The matter has been taken up with the Central Government in right earnest and Army would be called in to construct the border fencing along the Indo-Bangladesh border,” he said.

Terming the ongoing process of updating the National Register of Citizens as critical for the State and nation, Sonowal directed top officials of the districts to complete the historic process meticulously and without any error.

He said there were complaints about corruption in the Government system and slow  work at Government offices and called upon the DCs and SPs to set an example of dedication towards one’s duty and remove corrupt practices.