State government to empower Deputy Commissioners, amend land laws on eviction

CLEARING XATRA LAND OF ENCROACHMENTS

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: It’s strange but true: The Deputy Commissioners (DCs) in Assam do not have the legal power to evict illegal settlers from Xatra lands!

Against this backdrop, Dispur has decided to amend the existing land laws of the State for empowering the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to carry out the eviction of encroachers from Xatra lands. The amendment to ‘The Assam land and Revenue Regulation, 1886’ has become necessary as the mentioned regulation empowers the DCs to carry out eviction drives against illegal settlers only from government lands. The DCs cannot carry out such anti-encroachment drives in any other lands including those belonging to the Xatras. However, this serious flaw remained unnoticed during the 15 successive rule of the Congress in Assam.

After the change of guards in Dispur and formation of the Sarbananda Sonowal-led BJP-AGP-BPF alliance government, stress was laid on reviewing the existing land laws in Assam. And the flaw came to the surface only during the review process carried out by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department.

The department has already prepared a ‘Cabinet Memorandum’, and forwarded it to the ‘Cabinet Cell’ of the Political department before the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls. Since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in place, the Cabinet is yet to have a meeting on this vital issue. Once there is relaxation in MCC, the State Cabinet is likely to discuss the department’s recommendations on the amendment of the land laws. After it gets the Cabinet nod, the Revenue and Disaster Management Department will have to prepare a Bill which will be finally placed in the Assam Assembly.

The Gauhati High Court had also issued a directive to the Assam Government to carry out such anti-encroachment drives on Xatra lands across the State.

. According to official reports placed in the Assam Assembly, about 231 bigha and 4 Katha of Xatra lands are under illegal occupation across Assam.

According to official data, the maximum area of 121 bigha and 16 lecha under illegal occupation is at Shyamrai Bigrah Xatra in Barpeta district followed by 54 bigha of Auniati Xatra in Kamrup (Metro). Three Xatras at Chimen Chapori in Dhemaji district are under encroachment. These are six bigha of land at Gojala Xatra, and one bigha each at Sri Sri Nahakatia Xatra and also at Holguri Xatra.

The other Xatras where encroachments have been official reported by the District Magistrates are 20 bigha of land at Sri Thakur Ata Xatra in Bongaigaon; 15 bigha of Sri Sri Dakhinpat Xatra at Teok in Jorhat; 12 bigha, one katha and 17 lecha of Patekibari Xatra in Morigaon; one katha, 19 lecha of Sri Sri Garmur Xatra in Jorhat; and two katha, seven lecha of Ramrai Kuthi Xatra in Dhubri.

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