All Assam Tribal Sangha sends SOS to Dispur over encroachment

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The All Assam Tribal Sangha (AATS) has sent an SOS to the state government to clear encroachment in Tribal Blocks and Tribal Belts to secure the interest of various tribal communities and other indigenous people of Assam.

There are 47 Tribal Blocks and Tribal Belts in the state – 30 Tribal Blocks and 17 Tribal Belts. The government had notified these areas a few decades ago to safeguard the land rights of the protected class of the state.

Talking to The Sentinel, AATS secretary-general Aditya Khakhlari said that they had carried out a statewide survey of Tribal Blocks and Belts and found evidence of large-scale encroachment of such land. He said that they even have doubts about the citizenship of some of the encroachers. Citing the example of the Tribal Block in Banderdewa in the Lakhimpur district, Khakhlari said that some Hindi-speaking and religious minority people are living there. Other Tribal Blocks and Belts are also witnessing encroachment of various magnitude.

He mentioned that the AATS had submitted two memoranda in this connection during the tenure of the previous state government and one memorandum to the incumbent government. However, the desired response has not been forthcoming, he said.

He reiterated the appeal to the state government to verify the extent of encroachment in Tribal Blocks and Belts and take urgent measures to evict the illegal occupants. He added that the AATS and some other tribal organizations are planning to met Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma once again in this connection and request him to take expeditious action.

Khakhlari said that they are carrying out another survey regarding the land documents possessed by tribal people and how many tribal people benefitted under Basundhara-1. The survey is complete in most districts apart from the Barak valley and two-three other districts, he said, adding that it has come to their notice that tribal people are not landless, but they do not possess the required documents. This is a matter of concern and needs the attention of the state government, he said.

Khakhlari asserted that the tribal communities and other indigenous people of Assam will survive only so long as they possess their own land.

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