India, July 21 -- Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday reiterated his government's resolve to remove illegal settlers and suspected Bangladeshis from encroached land.

The chief minister's remarks came during his visit to Darrang district's Garakhuti area from where the Bharatiya Janata Party government initiated the eviction drive in September 2021. Sarma said the authorities had cleared 42,000 acres of encroached government land and reserve forests of illegal settlers in the last four years.

"The successful eviction at Gorukhuti was the beginning. With this eviction drive, we had taken a pledge and started a drive to remove other illegal settlers from encroached lands," Sarma said.

"The drive at Gorkhuti had emboldened u...