The Assam government will undertake a large-scale survey across Guwahati to identify people occupying footpaths and initiate evictions, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Monday, June 15. BJP spokesperson Ranjib Kumar Sharma told reporters the exercise, scheduled to begin from August 16, aims to remove unauthorised pavement occupations and reclaim public spaces to improve urban management and city infrastructure.
Speaking at the party’s state headquarters in Guwahati, Sharma said the survey will identify individuals and businesses operating on sidewalks without permission. He alleged that a section of unidentified persons had occupied footpaths and set up commercial activities that cause inconvenience to residents and obstruct public movement.
Sharma also linked some of these activities to broader social and demographic concerns and said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has already announced the survey and the subsequent eviction drive. He added that BJP workers would support the government during implementation to ensure the process is carried out smoothly.
The spokesperson claimed that several small business spaces on sidewalks had been transferred away from indigenous communities during the previous Congress-led government and said the present administration intends to reclaim those areas. “The government will now conduct a survey to identify these individuals and evict them. The small businesses on sidewalks that were taken from indigenous people and handed over during the earlier regime will be reclaimed. Steps will be taken to ensure they are returned to local communities,” Sharma said.
According to Sharma, the survey and eviction drive form part of a wider effort to beautify and organise the city. He noted ongoing infrastructure and beautification projects, including road development and flyover enhancement works, and expressed confidence that reclaiming public pathways would make Guwahati more orderly and visually improved.
Sharma concluded by saying BJP workers would fully cooperate with authorities for the smooth conduct of the proposed survey and eviction exercise.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/assam/story/assam-government-to-conduct-survey-on-encroached-footpaths-in-guwahati-to-remove-unauthorised-occupation-of-pavements-1408785-2026-06-16?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-06-16 08:17:00
