Assam tribals seek land rights

Tribal organisations of Assam have urged the state government to give land patta (land rights) to the tribals at the earliest.

The demand has been made by the Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organisations of Assam (CCTOA), which has appealed to the Assam government to take immediate steps to give land patta to the tribal people by carrying out a proper land survey.

The CCTOA has express resentment over some decisions regarding tribal blocks and tribal belts in the state. According to CCTOA, a recent cabinet decision in Assam, revoking Clause 17.5 of the Assam Land Policy 2019, in case of Kamrup Metro and Kamrup district, will prove to be a threat to the protected tribal belts and blocks in the district.

Under the 2019 policy, government permission was required for land transfer or sale in tribal blocks and belts; this has now been revoked. Tribal organisations in the state feel that with the revocation, the tribals will lose their land to unscrupulous elements.  They claim that a number of recent decisions of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Assam were against the interests of he indigenous tribals of Assam and tribals in Sadiya, Murkongselek and South Kamrup, will be the worst affected.

CCTOA has also opposed the government decision to acknowledge the Gurkha community as a ‘protected class’ in tribal blocks and tribal belts. The CCTOA leaders feel that instead of the entire Gorkha community, only the Nepali livestock farmers and those involved in agriculture.

The CCTOA has reminded the government the commitment made by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to solve the tribal issues and the formation of a ministerial committee for the purpose by mid-September. ​​​​​​​