'Launch separate Mission Basundhara for tribals or include provision to resolve tribal land issues'

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The tribal organizations of the state today said that the provisions under Mission Basundhara 2.0 are not adequate to resolve the vexed land issues of the tribal populace in the state. The organizations said that the government should either launch a separate Mission Basundhara to resolve tribal land issues or include another provision in the existing Mission Basundhara 2.0 to solve the vexed land issues of the tribal people in the state.

Tribal organizations, including CCTOA (Coordination Committee of Tribal Organizations of Assam), ITSSA (Indigenous Tribal Sahitya Sabha, Assam) and all tribal autonomous councils, got into a huddle in Guwahati today on the problems they face while applying for land patta through Mission Basundhara 2.0. They also discussed problems in getting caste certificates through Mission Bhumiputra. Various tribal student unions and tribal literary bodies were present at the meeting.

Talking to the media after the meeting, AATS (All Assam Tribal Sangha's secretary general Aditya Khakhlari said, "The State Government had earlier assured the tribal people of providing land pattas up to 50 bighas of land under their bhog dakhal (possession rights) for 75 years under Mission Basundhara. However, no revenue circle office in the state receives applications for land pattas from tribal people claiming possession of lands exceeding one bigha homestead land (bheti maati) and seven bighas of arable lands. It is a glaring failure of Mission Basundhara 2.0 to resolve the vexed land issues of tribal people."

Khakhlari said, "Our demands are - allowing gaonburhas to issue possession rights to tribal people owning lands for generations. The government should reduce the period of possession rights of lands under tribal people to 25 years from 75 years. Other important demands are changing the category of wetlands as most of such lands have become suitable for human habitation and converting the gram sabha patta to myadi patta. By the same logic, the government should also convert the xatra lands and devottar bhumi under the possession rights of tribal people into myadi patta. The government should also lift the ceiling of one bigha PGR (professional grazing reserve) and VGR (village grazing reserve) under the possession of tribal people, and they should get myadi patta for the entire lands under their possession. Since Mission Basundhara 2.0 does not have any provision to allow tribal people residing in NC (Non-cadastral) villages, the government should conduct a cadastral survey of such villages to enable the tribal residents there to apply for Mission Basundhar 2.0. Tribal people should also get rights over the lands they own without possessing any rayati khatian (rayati document). The government should also provide land rights to the Scheduled Tribes dwelling on forest lands under the Forest Rights Act of 2006. The government should also launch a scheme like Mission Basundhara to ensure the land rights of the tribal people in the BTR. The government should rehabilitate the evicted tribal people."

Khakhlari said, "Mission Bhumiputra also cannot solve the problems of tribal people. An applicant waits for three months to get his caste certificate. If the application gets rejected, the applicant knows the rejection of his application after three months. The Chief Minister should take initiatives to dispel tribal people's problems in Mission Basindhar 2.0 and Mission Bhumiputra and call the tribal organizations for discussion."

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