Assam begins phased distribution of Labour Line Pattas to tea garden workers

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Departmentally Related Standing Committee (DRSC) of the Assam Legislative Assembly on the Tea Tribes and Adivasi Welfare Department has recommended that the Assam Government ensure land ownership and permanent housing for tea garden workers across the state.

In its report, the Committee observed that most members of the Tea Tribes community continue to live in small labour quarters provided by tea estates with only basic amenities. It recommended allotment of land to all landless tea garden workers and construction of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) for workers residing in labour lines.

Responding to the recommendations, the Revenue and Disaster Management Department informed the Labour Welfare Department that the state government has already initiated the process of issuing Labour Line Pattas to eligible tea garden workers in a phased manner.

According to the department, the Assam Fixation of Ceiling on Land Holdings (Amendment) Act, 2025, enacted by the Assam Legislative Assembly and notified in December 2025, has widened the definition of “Tea Garden Worker” to include permanent and temporary workers as well as descendants of tea garden workers residing in labour lines and belonging to Tea Tribes and Adivasi communities.

The amendment also introduced provisions for settlement of acquired land with eligible tea garden workers living in labour lines. The allotted land will be heritable but cannot be sold, leased, gifted or otherwise transferred for 20 years or such period as may be notified by the government. After the restriction period, transfer will be permitted only to another tea garden worker residing in the same tea estate.

The Revenue Department said the government has already started implementing the scheme. In the first phase, 28,831 Labour Line Pattas have been distributed across 106 tea gardens. The second phase covers 250 tea gardens, benefiting around 1.14 lakh tea garden households, where land surveys are currently underway.

On the housing front, the Panchayat and Rural Development Department informed the Committee that several PMAY-G houses sanctioned under the existing Permanent Wait List for Tea Tribe beneficiaries have already been completed in various districts. A reporting module is being developed to monitor the progress of houses, while a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for sanctioning PMAY-G houses to tea garden beneficiaries has already been notified. The department has also sought reports from district authorities on the construction status of houses for beneficiaries who have already received land pattas.

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