Assam: Seeking land allotment, man begins indefinite hunger strike

BOKO:  Dhiren Mali from Birpara village under Chaygaon Revenue Circle in the Kamrup district started an indefinite hunger strike to seek the land documents of his plot of land, in front of the Bongaon Development Block Office from Friday morning.

Mali alleged that the village headman demanded a bribe of Rs 5,000 for giving him the government land document, but Mali refused to give the bribe. As a result, Mali has not yet got the documents of his own land.

Dhiren Mali said, “In 1980, the Brahmaputra floods washed away the village of Barniapara in South Sarubans Mouza. Our family was devastated by the floods. After about a year in the shelter camp, we were officially allowed to live on government-leased land plot no. 38 of Chatabari Revenue Village under Chaygaon Revenue Circle. Most of the flood-affected families settled in the area. Of these, seven families received allotment certificates but the rest did not. Among these families, my father Bharat Mali was also allotted land. After separating from my father in 1986, I started living separately on a vacant part of the same plot of land.

“In 2013, the government took steps to allocate the land by conducting a new survey. During this survey, the local Gaon Burha (Gaon Pradhan) demanded Rs 5,000 from me in the name of giving to the mandal. I was not financially well-off. I refused to pay the money asked for so they did not measure the land I was living in and did not list my name. So, my family has been deprived of land allotment. However, the area was also allocated to people who had their own land and were not affected by the floods.

“In this situation, I have no choice but to go on a hunger strike. I hope that the authorities concerned will take the matter seriously and provide justice to my landless family affected by the floods by making proper arrangements for allotment of the occupied land.”

When asked about the matter, Chaygaon Revenue Circle Officer Nirmal Jyoti Sharma said that he would investigate the matter thoroughly. He will start a survey with the lat mandal and take necessary action.

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