Assam: Land pattas to 4 lakh tea tribe families on the cards

Government to table Tiwari Commission report m District administration asked not to allow desecration of Zubeen's image

Cabinet decisions

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The Assam cabinet took a slew of important decisions, including an amendment to the Assam Fixation of Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1956, tabling of the Tiwari Commission Report, and exclusion of Tea Tribes, tribals, Morans and Mataks from the population control policy today. Apart from these, the cabinet discussed the issue of taking measures to regulate visits to the Samadhi Kshetra of Zubeen Garg at Sonapur.

Speaking to the media after the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "The cabinet agreed in principle to amend the ceiling act to pave the way for providing land pattas to Tea Tribes. An amendment to this act will let the government get 2.90 lakh bighas of tea garden lands. With this land, the government can provide land pattas to around four lakh Tea Tribe families. The DCs and MLAs of the respective areas will meet on October 25 to discuss the amount of land to be provided to each Tea Tribe family. The government will hold discussions with different tea organizations on this issue. We'll table the bill to amend the Ceiling Act in the coming Assembly session."

The Chief Minister said, "The government had ordered the Tiwari Commission to find facts relating to the Nellie incident in 1983. However, no government in the state laid that report of the commission in the Assembly, as the report lacked the signature of TD Tiwari. The government verified the authenticity of the report with the officials involved at that time, besides forensic tests of related documents. Now the government has confirmed that this is the original report of TD Tiwari. The cabinet discussed this issue and agreed in principle to table the report in the coming Assembly session. The report is part of the Assam history that the new generation should know."

The Chief Minister said, "The cabinet agreed in principle to exempt Tea Tribes, tribals, Morans and Mataks from the purview of the population control policy. The cabinet took this decision, keeping an eye on their declining population."

The Chief Minister said, "We want to keep Zubeen Garg alive among us as a cultural asset like Jyotiprasad Agarwala, Dr Bhupen Hazarika, and others. However, some of the visitors to the Samadhi Kshetra pay tributes to the late singer with liquor, tobacco and the like. It gives a negative impression of the singer. We don't want any sort of desecration to the image of the soulful singer. We've asked the DC, SP and the Sonapur public to put an end to this trend among the visitors."

The Chief Minister said that cheap politics has been underway in the state on the demise of Zubeen Garg. Even a section is out to put hurdles in the SIT investigation; some want to desecrate the image of Zubeen Garg, he said.

He said, "Everybody wants justice for the singer. Justice comes from the court. The SIT will file a strong charge sheet before the court. If anybody has objections, we have formed the judicial commission. You can lodge your complaints there."

The Cabinet approved the amendment of the Assam Elementary and Secondary School Teachers Bill 2025 to be tabled in the upcoming Assembly session. This amendment will allow 12,000 contractual teachers under SSA to apply for regularization.

The cabinet also approved the enhanced cost of the 500 TPD Menthol and 200 TPD Formalin project of Assam Petrochemicals Ltd at Rs 2,267 crore. 

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