One year to go, no joint survey of xatras as yet!

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: After taking oath in May 2016, the BJP-led coalition government at Dispur did promise to the Axom Xatra Mahaxabha (AXM) that it would conduct a joint survey of the Xatras in the State so as to ascertain their landed property, including land under encroachment. Only one year of the working tenure of the government is to go, but much to the dissatisfaction of the AXM the joint survey has not been conducted as yet.

Such a promise was made to the AXM by the government as the claim over total area of encroached xatra land in the State differs from organization to organization and the government.

Talking to The Sentinel, AXM general secretary and Xatradhikar Kusum Kumar Mahanta said, “We did hope that under this government the long-awaited joint survey of xatra land would be conducted. We’re hurt that the State government has not conducted the survey as yet. A joint survey of xatra land is a must to ascertain the total xatra land, including encroached xatra land in the State. Such a survey will also find out other aspects of xatra property in the State. After the formation of the government, we had a meeting with the then Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Pallab Lochan Das. He promised us of conducting the joint survey. Around six months back, we met Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and raised the issue of joint survey of xatra land. He accepted the proposal and said a scholar like an archeologist or an educationist associated with Xatras should be engaged in the joint survey, besides government and AXM representatives. A few days back, we received a call from the State Director of Archeology. The Director gave a proposal to get the survey of xatra land conducted by the deputy commissioners. We, however, rejected the offer as the DCs will engage their sub-ordinate officers to get the survey conducted. Such a survey will end up becoming a one-sided one. Only a joint survey can solve the issue forever.”

When on about the total areas of xatra land under encroachment, Mahanta said, “According to us, there are 1,242 xatras in Assam. According to my rough survey, around 6,550 bighas of xatra land are under illegal occupation in the State.”

Meanwhile, in February 2019 the State Assembly was informed that about 231 bigha and 4 katha of Xatra land are under illegal occupation across Assam.

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