‘A xatra with a naamghar surrounded by habitations out of sync with Assamese culture cannot survive’
Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: Fifteen xatras in the Barpeta district have got into a huddle and pledged to fight against the encroachment of xatra lands that has posed a threat to the xatriya culture in the state. To push their demand forward, they have formed an organization-the Barpeta District Xatra Coordination Committee.
With the same objective, the xatras and Nagaon and Morigaon districts formed a coordination committee of xatras a few days ago to go ahead with their demands.
It seems that the xatras in the state have started to team up to free xatra lands from encroachment as the initiatives being taken by the state government stop short of doing enough to serve their purpose.
At the meeting held on Wednesday, the Bura Xatriya of the Barpeta Xatra, Dr. Babul Chandra Das, said that even as the state government has enacted an Act to free xatra lands from encroachment, the xatra lands in the state are not fully free from encroachment. The lands of many xatras are still under encroachment in minority-dominated areas, he said. The Bura Xatriya feels that the tempo with which the state government started the drive to free xatra lands from encroachment is losing steam with the passage of time. He said any threat to the Xatriya culture is tantamount to a threat to the Assamese. He urged the state government to free xatra lands from encroachment so as to safeguard the bhakats (devotees).
The Xatradhikar of Sundaridiya Xatra, Nirmal Adhikari, said, "We have lost a lot, and if action is not taken now, the situation will spell disaster."
The Xatradhikar of Pirala Xatra, Digendra Nath Goswami, said that 101 bighas of land of their xatra have been under encroachment. He said that the state government had issued notices to the encroachers in September 2023. However, the matter is pending as the encroachers moved the court, he said. He feels that somewhere the measures being taken by the state government against the encroachers stop short of being enough to serve the purpose. He feels that a xatra with a naamghar surrounded by habitations that are quite out of sync with the Assamese culture cannot survive.
The xatradhikars and other representatives of Puran Bhabanipur Gopal Ata Xatra, Kalajhar Xatra, Porabharal Xatra, Patbausi Xatra, Jharabari Xatra, etc., were present in the meeting. They formed a coordination committee and decided to urge the government to free Xatra lands from encroachment as soon as possible.
The state government formed a three-member 'Commission for the Review and Assessment of Problems of Xatra Lands' with MLA Pradip Hazarika as the chairman. The interim report submitted by the commission mentioned that '1,898 hectares of 303 xatras have been encroached upon across the state.'
Also Read: Assam: Xatradhikars Unite to Move Dispur on Freeing Xatra Lands
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