Tribal writers for law to protect locals' land rights

By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, April 29: The tribal people of Assam, including their litterateurs, have the scare of being insecure on their own land written in their own faces. They huddled together for a discussion and raised the demand for the repeal of the Assam Land and Revenue (Regulations) Act, 1886 and ect a new land law in sync with the chapter X of the Assam Land Revenue Regulation, 1886 for the protection of land rights of the indigenous tribal people.
In a memorandum submitted to the chairman of the Committee on Protection of Land Rights of Indigenous People of Assam, Harisankar Brahma at the Circuit House here today, the president of the convening committee of the Indigenous Tribal Sahitya Sabha, Assam (ITSSA), Gubindo Taid said: “…large areas of land in tribal belts (17) and blocks (30) in the State have been under the occupation of encroachers from non-protected classes. Because of such negligence on the part of the government the very existence of the indigenous tribal people of the State is under threat. The indigenous tribal are losing their land continuously. We, therefore, urge you to recommend to the government for repealing the Assam Land and Revenue (Regulations) Act, 1886 and in its place ect a new land law keeping intact the chapter X of the Assam Land Revenue Regulation, 1886 and make it fit to protect the land rights of the indigenous tribal people of Assam.”
The convening committee rued the fact that while the Central Government ected the ‘Scheduled Tribe and Other Tribal Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 for the protection of tribal people dwelling in forest areas, in Assam lakhs of tribal families living in forest areas have been kept outside the purview of the Act by not implementing it. “…the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditiol Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 should be implemented in Assam in letter and spirit to protect the tribal people dwelling in forest areas,” the convening committee said, and added: “The provisions of Clause 10 of the Assam Accord, 1885, in respect of the tribal belts and blocks should be fully implemented in letter and spirit by way of protecting the tribal people and evicting the encroachers without further delay.”
The ITSSA is a conglomerate of eight sahitya sabhas of the State – the Tiwa Sahitya Sabha, Dimasa Sahitya Sabha, Karbi Sahitya Sabha, Mising Sahitya Sabha, Deori Sahitya Sabha, Rabha Sahitya Sabha, Garo Sahitya Sabha and the Bodo Sahitya Sabha.