Assam government grants permanent land rights to 3 lakh tea garden workers, ending 200 years of insecurity

The Government of Assam has announced a historic decision to provide land pattas (title deeds) to nearly 3 lakh tea garden workers’ families living in labour lines across 825 tea estates. This initiative—made possible through the amended Assam Fixation of Ceiling on Land Holding Act, 2025—marks the first time in India that industrial land will be converted into permanent residential colonies for workers.

For over 200 years, tea garden workers, originally brought from different parts of India through forced migration, lived in company-allotted quarters that housed up to three generations. After retirement, workers were compelled to vacate these quarters, often leaving them homeless or dependent on relatives. The new policy puts an end to this long-standing hardship by granting them permanent land rights at the very locations where they currently reside, regardless of their job status.

Workers have expressed deep gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Assam Tea Tribes and Adivasi Welfare Minister Rupesh Gowala. Female tea garden workers have also voiced appreciation for the government’s decision, which finally offers them security and dignity.

Under the new amendment, all labour line lands will officially become government property. District commissioners and Mandals will conduct detailed surveys, mapping, and verification for each estate. Four-member committees will be formed in every garden to assist workers with application procedures. Land mapping and form-filling are scheduled to begin in mid-December 2025, with allotments expected later that month.

The transition will cover around 2.18 lakh bighas of land. The government will compensate tea estates at Rs 3,000 per bigha, amounting to approximately Rs 65 crore. Areas such as those under the Assam Tea Corporation and gardens in Tinsukia district will be among the first to complete verification and survey work.

This landmark move not only ends two centuries of housing insecurity but also integrates tea garden workers into broader welfare schemes, allowing them to improve their homes, access loans, and plan their futures with confidence. Assam now stands as the first state in India to convert tea garden labour lines into official government land for permanent settlement—an unprecedented step in the country’s labour welfare history.