Assamese people have lost their rights to resources: KMSS

FROM A CORRESPONDENT

TEZPUR, March 10: Coming down heavily on the anti-people activities of the ruling Congress government in the state and the BJP government at the centre, peasant organisation Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) president Akhil Gogoi on Monday  said here that Assamese people are day by day losing their rights on their own resources like mineral resources, tea leaves, coal, oil etc. produced in the region.

KMSS chief Gogoi addressing the open session of the first biennial conference of the Sonitpur district committee of the KMSS held  with a two-day long programme at Rangagora, a remote rural area near Dhekiajuli in Sonitpur District, slammed Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi saying that rampant corruption of the state government has plauged the development activities of the State.

The law and order situation in the region has been severely deterirated in Gogoi's  regime, he said.

The peasant leader stated that the KMSS is ready to face any consequences at the interest of saving the resources of the region from the hand of the outsiders and firm in giving a bold fighting against the corruption that has plagued the state's economy during the congress rule.

The KMSS president demanding amendment of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution to protect the rights to tural resources for the people of Assam, added that Centre has curtailed all rights of the people on tural resources on the basis of the Seventh Schedule.

"As royalty on oil, Assam gets only Rs 560 against every Rs 20,000 worth of crude oil explored, while the Centre receives Rs 1,425 as tax. This oil resource is again in the hands of companies and not under the central government. So, companies on behalf of the Centre are exploiting the people of Assam and depriving their legitimate share of profit for decades," the peasant leader alleged.

Giving a clarion call to all concerned, he also said that it is  high time for the people of the region to raise their voices and fight against the discrimition in various other aspects, including erosion and issuing of land patta. Touching upon the issue of  amendment to the Assam Land and Revenue Act, 1886, Akhil alleged that a large section of farmers are still deprived of the basic right on the land they have been living for centuries and cultivating only because of government's "anti-people" land act. The government has curtailed the right of people on land by categorizing various land holdings, he added.

"A farmer's family needs at least 12 bighas to sustain them but in Assam, the average farming land figures were dismal," he said adding thast around 28 per cent farmers have no land while 32 per cent have only 3.5 bighas. "So, most of the farmers hardly have any land for cultivation, compelling them to become labourers," he said.

"Between 1954 and 2001 seven per cent land (4.5 lakh hectares) has been eroded in Assam, displacing over three lakh people. These people will have to come forward to demand land pattas, protection of land from erosion and reclaim the land already eroded," Gogoi said.

Terming every political party of the region irrespective of AGP, BJP, Congress, AIUDF as corrupt, he said that these parties have no  vision to serve the people in real sense, apart from fulfilling their own interest.

In the two-day long programme, a new body was formed with Prasanta Baisya as president who presided over the open session. The occasion was graced by Senior advocate, Guwahati High Court, Prem Sarma, Gyasuddin Shmed, social worker and Principal of Dhekiajuli junior College among others.

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