JAGATSINGHPUR: With the district administration serving notices to illegal settlers for encroaching government land, many migrants living in Behrampur, Dhanipur, Satapura and other villages voluntarily demolished their houses on Friday.
Nearly 30 to 50 families live in these villages and other areas of Tarikunda panchayat under Raghunathpur tehsil. The administration served notices to those who had settled on government land by way of encroachment after obtaining Aadhaar and voter ID cards. After receiving the notice, the suspected immigrants demolished their houses with their own hands. Many of them shifted to polythene sheet tents along with their domestic animals, while others have left the area altogether.
Some of these families said they have been living in the area for the last 50 to 60 years. Since their forefathers had settled, they continued living in the same place, many having been born here.
“Our lives have changed after the eviction notices and we live in tragic conditions now,” said a family. They claimed to be in possession of Aadhaar, voter ID cards and other documents but admit to encroaching on government land and do not have land documents which led to the administration issuing them eviction notices.
Raghunathpur tehsildar Rajlaxmi Nayak said notices were served to nearly 24 families of Behrampur, Dhanipur and other villages, asking them to vacate by November 26.
Many suspected immigrants voluntarily demolished their houses on the day, while the remaining structures will be demolished after the scheduled date if they do not remove the illegal encroachments themselves, she added.
Earlier, the administration had detained nearly 21 Bangladeshi immigrants in the area after demolishing their houses. Now, six of them have been allowed to return to their homes because no evidence was found against them to prove they were Bangladeshi nationals.
Meanwhile, police raided the house belonging to main accused Sikandar Alam in Dhanipur for harbouring Bangladeshi immigrants and assaulting police personnel during an earlier raid.
The cops seized important documents and bank account details from his house. Alam has been absconding along with several suspected Bangladeshi settlers and police are yet to trace him.
