KOKRAJHAR: Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Mancha (BJSM) on Sunday brought new allegation of distributing land pattas to ineligible and non-tribal people in BTC by organizing Land Mela. The Mancha expressed its strong resentment over the BTR government for giving land patta to illegal settlers in tribal belts and blocks and demanded that instead of giving land patta, the government should start eviction drives against the illegal encroachers who are occupying lands in tribal belts and blocks.
In a statement, the working president of the BJSM DD Narzary said that the Deputy CEM of BTC Gabinda Chandra Basumatary, had been distributing land pattas to illegal settlers under Majbat Circle in Udalguri district through organizing Land Melas, and several hundreds of bighas of lands are going to the hands of illegal encroachers. He said that the land pattas were given vide no. BTC/LR-35/2021/pt-II/37 A and the same practice are also going on in Chirang district by violating the chapter-X of Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act, 1886. He also said that giving land patta to illegal encroachers was part of the government’s anti-tribal agenda to grab protected tribal lands.
Narzary said that the BTC was formed under the 6th schedule of the Indian constitution at the initiatives of the then Prime Minister Atul Behari Vajpayee and Home Minister LK Advani in 2003 to protect and develop tribal land, identity, culture, tradition, language and literature along with the political rights and former chief of BTC Hagrama Mohilary ran the council taking the tribal officers on faith, but the present BTR government led by Pramod Boro, has no confidence on his people and has been running the council with imported non-tribal officers in every department.
“How would the lands of tribal belts and blocks be protected by the imported officers?” he questioned. He said that the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act, 1886 was brought by the British rulers to protect the lands belonging to tribal people from illegal encroachers and the then tribal leaders like - Bhimbar Deori, Rupnath Brahma, Satish Chandra Basumatary, Jadav Khaklary and Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma under the banner of Tribal League moved the then Chief Minister Gopinath Bordoloi and brought amendment of Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act in 1949 to protect the tribal lands from illegal occupation by non-tribal people.
Meanwhile, in a shocking revelation by the Executive Member (EM) of Land and Land Revenue Department of BTC, Ranjit Basumatary, during the question hours of the last BTC budget session said that many non- protected classes of people from outside the council area had been purchasing lands in tribal belts and blocks, doing mutation, allotment and transferring in the 6th schedule BTC administration. It was revealed that some of the circle officers and officials in the department concerned have been flouting the norms of Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act, 1886 and amended in 1947.
Replying to the question raised by MCLA Paniram Brahma from the opposition bench, EM Basumatary said that there was an instance of non-tribal people purchasing and transferring land in Kajalgaon tribal belt in Chirang district. He said that the provision of chapter-X of Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act, 1886 and the BTC Accord, 2003 have scrupulously been followed in respect of land related issues in 6th schedule area. He admitted that the purchase of land, allotment and transfer was happening not only in Kajalgaon but in other parts of the BTC as well.
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