Assam to bring law restricting land dealings in select revenue circles: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that his government is working on a law to allow land dealings in select revenue circles only between people who have been residents of the state since at least 1951.

He said new laws are being enacted and amendments being made to existing Acts to ensure and protect land rights of the indigenous people, while also giving settlement rights to the landless, eligible dwellers.

Sarma was speaking at the launch of e-Chitha Land Valuation Certification portal, a citizen-centric service of Assam State Disaster Management Authority.

"An important thing we want to do is to identify a few revenue circles where the sale and purchase of land can be done by people residing there in 1951, names of whose families appear in the 1951 voter list or NRC. It is a bold law.We will bring it in March," he said.

Also Read: Assam: 7-member SIT formed to probe major online investment scam

He said similar laws, like one allowing land dealings only within the same category in the case of Scheduled Castes, Schedules Tribes and Other Backward Classes in undivided Goalpara district, will also be brought by his government.

Undivided Goalpara district consisted of present-day Goalpara, Dhubri, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar and South Salmara-Mankachar districts.

"Many such laws will be brought during Mission Basundhara implementation. Revenue officers should understand the spirit of our government. If we cannot safeguard our 'jati' (community) today, we can never do it in the future," he asserted.

"We are working in government at a critical period. Our work will prove whether we can survive as a 'jati' or not," Sarma added.

A new law to protect core agricultural land will also be soon brought by the government, he said.

Mentioning the amendments already made, he said, "In the last assembly session, we have added a new chapter 12 to an existing Act, which allows the sale of land within a 5-km radius of 'iconic structures' to only people residing there in 1951 or before... this is a secular act for both cultural and religious structures." While the new amendment is being applied in parts of Barpeta and Batadrava and entire Majuli at present, the government will soon write to District Commissioners (DCs) to list iconic structures in their respective districts for such protection, he added.

Through an amendment to another existing law, the sale of tea land for non-tea growing purposes without government consent has been made a punishable offence, Sarma said.