Gauhati High Court has directed the state administration to provide basic facilities, including medical care and education, to those living in makeshift camps for over eight months following the eviction drive in the Hashila Beel area of Lower Assam’s Goalpara district last June.
The 13-page order, passed by the bench of Justice Devashis Baruah on Wednesday, asked government respondents to file affidavits on their stand on or before March 9. The next hearing is on March 11.
Counsel for the 60 petitioners, Z. Khalid, submitted that the “inhuman condition” in which the petitioners were residing required urgent intervention, adding that the state, being a welfare state, was constitutionally bound to provide basic amenities such as sanitation, potable water, medical care and food.
The petitioners alleged that the evictions carried out on June 16, 17 and 18, 2025, on the ground that the land formed part of a wetland, were “contrary to the law laid down by the Supreme Court”. They also claimed that 566 Bengali-speaking families, including children, had been compelled to take refuge for over eight months “in a compact plot of patta land belonging to some other persons” due to the “large-scale eviction”.
After hearing both sides, the court observed that the “right to life includes the right to live with dignity, right to potable water, right to sanitation, as well as right to basic medical facilities”. It also noted that benefits under the 2013 act must be provided to eligible persons.
The court directed authorities to ensure potable water facilities, adequate rations from fair price shops and access to primary healthcare centres. It also asked officials to explore avenues for temporary sanitation mechanisms for displaced families. The directions are to be carried out by the health, education, food and civil supplies departments and the Goalpara district administration.
After the eviction, the chief minister had stated the government had recovered nearly 495 acres of government-notified wetland from encroachers. About 690 families were affected.
