Guwahati, the biggest city in the northeast, has been expanding rapidly since the 1970s. As new administrative government jobs began to be generated, and the informal sector started booming, poor growth in the agricultural sector and annual floods and land erosion pushed a large number of people from across the state to move to Guwahati in search of better livelihood opportunities.

After the liberalisation of the economy in the 1990s, Guwahati witnessed another phase of expansion. Corporate and business classes emerged in the city, so did new roads, buildings and other infrastructure. Owing to the huge influx of people, the city faced an acute shortage of housing. According to reports, land in hills and wetlands around the city were illegally occupied by businessmen and government officials. In many cases, the government reportedly gave such land to public and private institutions.

The people living in the hills and around wetlands in Guwahati soon started demanding land titles from the government. But the state launched eviction drives in 2002 and displaced thousands of people living in the hills. Local organisations such as Krishak Mukti Sangam Samiti (KMSS) and Unnayan Samiti have held several protests. The government even formed a committee to look into the matter under the leadership of the then revenue minister, Bhumidhar Barman, but nothing concrete happened.

According to a survey by AC Nielsen in 2009, around 65,900 households were then residing in 16 hill settlements. Some 71 per cent of all households were living on government land, while around 18 per cent were living on land that was part of reserve forest. About 7.3 per cent households lived on _patta _land owned by others, while some 3.6 per cent households were living on their own land.

On 22 June 2011, thousands of hill dwellers [marched ](http://on june 22, 2011, thousands of hill dwellers marched to dispur demanding that the evictions be stopped and pattas be granted to those living on dakhal (encroached) lands/)to the secretariat in Dispur demanding a stop to the evictions and land titles to the people. But the police resorted to lathicharge and fired tear-gas shells to disperse the demonstrators, many of whom were injured. This was followed by police firing, in which three persons were killed, including a nine-year old boy. In retaliation, the people beat up police personnel and damaged vehicles.

In 2014, another round of eviction drive started and saw widespread protests by people. The KMSS organised a protest meeting at Digahalipukhuri in the city on 18 February 2014, and prepared a list of demands, including legal ownership rights to those living in the hills and around wetlands. In a separate incident, a member of the KMSS, Pronob Boro, self-immolated in front of the state secretariat in Dispur.

There has not been much headway since. The current government has been sending notices to the hill dwellers, through the state revenue department, asking them to vacate the encroached land.

In a report by Reuters, the hill dwellers have still not got land titles as of March 2020. According to a farmer, the authorities have said that they would first survey the land, check proof of residence and issue _pattas _to those who are eligible. "But that has not happened, and without a _patta, _we can be evicted any time," the farmer said.

In April 2022, the government of Assam announced that ownership rights will be given to people residing in Guwahati hills, government grazing reserve lands and Debuttar government lands in the city.

Eventually, in October 2024, the Assam government reduced land premiums for residents of Guwahati's hill areas as part of the Government scheme named Mission Basundhara 3.0 initiative. As cited by the Assam Chief Minister, this effort was aimed to simplify land ownership processes and offer financial relief to marginalized hill dwellers by reducing land premiums, reflecting the government's focus on inclusive land reform policies. The development is expected to benefit numerous indigenous families residing on the 19 hills of Guwahati who have been struggling to secure their land rights for decades. However, reacting to the CM's statement, president of Bhumi Adhikar Sangram Samiti, Pranab Jyoti Kalita, informed the media that no guidelines have been issued by the government.

Notably, illegal encroachments and unregulated hill cutting in Guwahati have increased landslide risks and environmental harm. Despite warnings in the Master Plan, rising housing demands and poor planning perpetuate these issues and collaborative action is crucial to protect the hills.