Dibrugarh, Aug. 3: The Digboi forest division today carried out an eviction drive at Namphai reserve forest in Tinsukia district and removed 150 temporary huts.

Jagun forest ranger Padam Gohain told The Telegraph over phone this evening that the eviction drive was carried out from 10am to remove encroachers.

"Under the supervision of police officers and a magistrate, we cleared 25 hectares of forestland which had been encroached upon," he said.

The Namphai reserve forest, spread over 2,117.4 hectares, falls under Upper Dehing rainforest within Jagun forest range.

"Nobody can settle in a forest area and destroy the ecological balance by cutting down the trees. Before the eviction drive, the men fled from the scene. They had got information we were going to carry out an eviction drive and they fled leaving behind the women,'' said a forest official.

He said they had carried out a similar drive but after someday encroachers again came and erected temporary huts.

"When we entered the forest to conduct the eviction drive, the women tried to prevent us. We had gone there with a team comprising a magistrate and forest and police officials and cleared the area which was illegally encroached upon by around 500 people," said district forest officer Bipul Borah.

Sources said around 500 flood-affected people had entered Namphai reserve forest a few days ago and settled there after erecting temporary shelters. The people had come from flood-hit Laika and Dodhia villages in Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, who had tried to take refuge in Tarani reserve forest, but were sent back home after the intervention of Assam forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma.

Namphai reserve forest is 72km east of Tinsukia and 555km from Guwahati.