Assam Government Denotifies Three Proposed Reserve Forests In Tinsukia, Grants Land Rights to Over 20,000 Residents

GUWAHATI: The Assam government has decided to denotify three Proposed Reserve Forests (PRF) in Tinsukia district for enabling over 20,000 residents to get land rights, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

During a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday, the state government approved the conversion of the Proposed Reserve Forests (PRF) into revenue villages, enabling residents to obtain land rights.

Speaking at a late-night press conference, he stated, "Tinsukia has three Proposed Reserve Forests, and we have decided to denotify them and convert them into revenue villages. This will enable the residents to secure land rights."

The three Proposed Reserve Forests are Talpathar (170 hectares), Mohongpathar (466 hectares), and the First Addition to Duarmarah (113 hectares).

Sarma stated, "More than 20,000 people reside in these villages, but they were unable to obtain land rights due to PRF restrictions. Therefore, we decided to convert these PRFs into revenue villages instead of designating them as Reserve Forests."

He described the Cabinet's approval as a "significant decision" aimed at providing relief to the people in distress. The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023 reveals that Assam's forest cover has declined by nearly 84 sq km from 2021 to 2023, with the state's total forest and tree cover now standing at 30,415.01 sq km.

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