No Joint Survey To Find Out Exact Figure: Asom Sattra Mahasabha (ASM)

GUWAHATI: The Asom Sattra Mahasabha (ASM) on Sunday expressed anger and resentment over Dispur’s failure to conduct a joint survey to find out the exact figure of encroachment of xattra lands in the State.

Soon after the BJP-led Government came to power in the State in 2016, there was a move to conduct a joint survey on xattra land encroachment. Towards this end, a meeting was held among the then State Revenue Minister Pallab Lochan Das, representatives of ASM and Revenue department officials. The meeting decided to conduct the joint survey by the State Revenue department and ASM.

“No joint survey has so far been conducted. It is a matter of serious concern when we are observing the tithi of Mahapurush Sri Sri Sankardev. Since there is a difference in estimation of total encroachment of xattra land between Assam Government and ASM, the joint survey could have resolved the issue,” Kusum Kumar Mahanta, general secretary of Asom Sattra Mahasabha told The Sentinel.

Mahanta who is also the Xattradhikar of Sri Sri Torabori Kalshila Xattra, Morigaon, said even though the Assam Government had asked the deputy commissioners to conduct a survey to find out the status of xattra land encroachment, the DCs did not involve representatives of xattras in the survey. “We would have cooperated with the DCs in the survey to find out the exact state of encroachment,” he said.

According to ASM, there are 1,242 xattras in the State. The ASM had surveyed 26 xattras in various districts including Dhubri, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Kamrup, Nagaon and Morigaon.

“The ASM’s survey in a few districts had found encroachment of 7,000 bighas of xattra lands. Around 1,900 bighas of land at Adi Alengi Xattra in Lakhimpur has been encroached upon. But the government is claiming that only a few hundred bighas of xattra land has been encroached,” Mahanta said.

Mahanta added that even though Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and some of his ministerial colleagues have the desire to clear the xattra land from encroachment, the government’s directives towards this end are often not being carried out efficiently and sincerely at the ground level.

“There is still time to conduct the joint survey. So, the government must immediately start the survey,” Mahanta said.

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