Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Encroachment in belts and blocks created for protected classes of people has become a big issue, and it remains to be seen how the state government tackles this problem. There are 30 tribal blocks and 17 tribal belts in the state with a total land area of 85.80 lakh bigha, and an area of around 5 lakh bigha is still under encroachment.
According to the Coordination Committee for Tribal Organisations of Assam (CCTOA), the state government has carried out anti-encroachment drives in tribal belts in Sonapur and other places, which is a welcome step, but the land area freed in these drives is nominal, and a major part of such lands is still being encroached on.
In May 2023, the Gauhati High Court, after conducting a hearing on a PIL on encroached tribal lands, directed the state government to free such lands 'as soon as possible.' Moreover, the HC had directed all district commissioners, having tribal belts and blocks under their jurisdiction, to evict all non-tribal and other people illegally occupying tribal lands, following the due process of law.
Tribal belts and blocks exist in 13 districts– Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Darrang, Dhemaji, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sonitpur, and Tinsukia. According to the Assam Land and Revenue Act, 1886, "These lands can only be bought or sold by people from the protected class, and no one will be allowed to rent out or give on lease land to non-protected people."
Revenue department sources said, "Tribal belts and blocks are created for the protection of those backward classes of people who, on account of their primitive condition and lack of education, are incapable of looking after their own welfare in so far as such welfare depends upon their having sufficient land."
Sources said that the encroachment is carried out mainly by two types of people: those of doubtful nationality and those from the non-protected classes. Encroachments have been going on for a long time now, and, in many cases, there is political patronage also. Huge tracts of land are under encroachment, and to carry out eviction drives, a lot of preparation and resources are required. So, there are limitations to the eviction drives carried out by district administrations and the state government. Moreover, a lot of hue and cry is raised during such eviction drives, and protests are frequently seen.
Revenue department officials said, "The government has prepared a roadmap for eviction drives in tribal lands. For example, we cleared such lands in Kachutoli of Sonapur last year. In the future, such drives will also be carried out. But this is a problem that has persisted for 30-40 years, and it will take time for the government to make these lands encroachment-free."
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