Assam to Introduce Law Restricting Land Transactions in Key Revenue Circles: CM Sarma

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that his government is working on a new legislation that would ban the selling and buying of land by those people who lived in the state since at least 1951 in certain areas.

He also said that the government is bringing new laws and amending the existing acts to safeguard the rights of the indigenous people over their land, to provide land to the landless residents who are eligible for it.

He said this while speaking at the launch of the e-Chitha Land Valuation Certification portal-a citizen-centric service of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority. Sarma said that a big new legislation is in the offing in the State.

He said the proposed legislation will 'deny' land transactions in those revenue circles with only those families who can prove to have been Assamese residents since 1951, their names featuring in the 1951 voter list or NRC. He added that this bold law is expected to be introduced in March.

He said his government will bring such Acts also, like one which prohibits land transactions within the same category in respect of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in the undivided Goalpara district.

This district originally included the areas that are now Goalpara, Dhubri, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar and South Salmara-Mankachar districts.

Sarma told the gathering that a number of such laws to implement Mission Basundhara would be enacted within the coming days. In this regard, the minister appealed to the revenue officers to understand the intention of the government: "If the people fail to protect their community now, they would probably never get any opportunity in their life.".

He also added that their contributions at this juncture of time would shape whether their community can survive or not. He also informed them that the government will soon be imposing a new legislation to safeguard core agricultural land.

Sarma pointed out that the recent amendments include the addition of a new chapter, adding in an existing Act during the last assembly session, which forbids the sale of land within the 5-kms radius of 'iconic structures' to people who have been residents since 1951 or before. Such restriction shall apply to cultural and religious sites.

Currently, the new law has been implemented in parts of Barpeta and Batadrava apart from the whole district of Majuli. The government plans to soon ask all district commissioners to give the names and detailed lists of iconic structures within their districts so that they can be accorded with similar protection.

In another amendment, selling of land under tea cultivation for non-tea cultivation purposes is punishable, provided these cases are without due government approval.

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