Assam Government: One-Man One-Patta Regime In State

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: One-man one patta, a land bank in every village and suo-moto registration of land mutation are major features of the proposed land documentation system in Assam.

The joint land patta system still in practice in Assam has been the mother of many land-related problems. Now onwards, the State government is set to do away with the joint patta system with the one-man one-patta regime. In this new regime while seeking land patta, both husband and wife have to apply together.

Strange as it may sound, the State government has no records of government land in its villages, leading to rampant encroachment and illegal sale of land by a section of people with forged land documents. When it comes to government land in the State, everything has gone seriously awry. To put an end to such a messy situation, the government is going to set up land banks, one in each village.

The practice of conversion of agricultural lands to non-agricultural ones in the State is no better either. Now on, the government will create a concept of ‘prime agricultural land’. Permission from the government will be mandatory in the event of converting such land to non-agricultural land.

The brokers continue to play a major role in registration of land mutation. With a view to giving no room for brokers to meddle with, circle offices and registration offices will be interlinked, enabling suo-moto land registration of mutation. In this system, an applicant will get his/her land registration of mutation done without having to go to the circles offices and the registration offices, physically.

In Kamrup and Kamrup (M) districts, the Deputy Commissioners are the authority for transfer of lands in the tribal belts and blocks. However, now onwards the final say will be with Dispur.

The new land policy also has an effective tool that can keep encroachers at bay. Apart from evicting people encroaching upon lands of roads and drains, the cost of carrying out eviction drives will have to be borne by the encroachers.

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