Additional tribal belts & blocks mulled in Assam

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: After several decades, the Government of Assam is mulling the creation of additional tribal belts and blocks across the State. This move of the present BJP-led coalition State government is aimed at shielding the land rights of the indigenous protected class.

In this regard, the R&DM (Revenue & Disaster Management) Department has instructed all the DCs (Deputy Commissioners) to examine the feasibility of the move in their respective areas of jurisdiction. The Department has further directed the DCs to "furnish the proposal at the earliest".

The letter of the Departments specified, "The government desires to explore the creation of new tribal belts and blocks wherever the majority of the inhabitants (exceeding 50%) belong to the people of the protected."

The R&DM Department has also directed the DCs to furnish names of the proposed tribal belts and blocks; the areas constituting the proposed areas comprising the villages and mouza(s) with boundaries along with the maps of those areas.

As on date, there are 47 tribal belts & blocks (17 tribal belts & 30 tribal blocks) across the State.

The first such tribal belt/block was created in the two districts of Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon way back in 1947. As many as 31 belts and blocks were notified in Assam under Chapter-X of the 'Assam Land revenue Regulation-1886' the years during the five years between 1947 and 1951. Mentionably, the latest creation of such a tribal belt/block was at Goalpara in 1989.

According to the guidelines, an area (even comprising villages) has to be declared as a 'tribal belt and block' if "the percentage of the tribal classes of people exceed 50% of the total population of those villages". The move was made to "safeguard the interest of the tribal and other backward classes of people living there".

Also Read: Assam Government urged not to dilute concept of tribal belts & blocks

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