Bulldozers Roll at Sonabarighat, Alleged Hospital Land Encroachment Cleared

The district administration on Monday (July 13) carried out an eviction drive at Sonabarighat Market in Sonai constituency, demolishing several allegedly illegal shop structures built in front of Sonabarighat Hospital.

According to officials and members of the hospital management committee, the action was taken following a request from the committee, which claimed that the hospital land had been under encroachment for many years. During the operation, officials from the district administration and police demolished the alleged illegal constructions.

The eviction drive was conducted in the presence of Sonai Circle Officer Dibakar Deb. Representing the hospital management committee were the Chairperson’s representative Raka Majumdar, Secretary Dr Jamil Ahmed Barbhuiya, and other members.

Speaking to the media, local residents welcomed the eviction drive and thanked the Sonai Circle Office and the Cachar District Commissioner for taking action. They alleged that the land had remained encroached for more than a decade and that the shopkeepers had been paying rent to the alleged encroachers during this period.

The residents further alleged that around 11 shops had been constructed on the land. They claimed that an advance payment of approximately Rs 2.5 lakh had been collected from each shop, along with a monthly rent of Rs 7,000, amounting to nearly Rs 70,000 in monthly rental income. They identified the alleged encroacher as Dalim Hussain Mazumder and also alleged the involvement of his brother and a few others. These allegations have not been independently verified, and no official statement regarding the financial claims or the identities of those accused was immediately available.

Local residents expressed hope that the land would now remain free from encroachment and that similar issues would not arise in the future. The administration has not yet issued a detailed statement regarding any further legal action in the matter.