Statewide Crackdown leads to arrest of over 500 land brokers

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: A statewide crackdown since Monday night has led to the arrest of as many as 520 land brokers so far.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said today that his government vowed to make DTO offices, police stations, circle offices and DC offices free from brokers. "Break all nexus with brokers. I know that a section of officials even demands money for issuing death certificates," Sarma said.

The target list of land brokers has 700 names. The police produced most of the land brokers before the court today.

The Chief Minister said, "We have arrested the land brokers intending to dissuade the public from taking their help to get their works done. We appeal to the people not to approach any middlemen to get land-related works done. The public should do their land-related works themselves, even if that takes a day or two days more.

"I warn the officials that if we pursue, more skeletons will tumble out of the closet. You need to sever your ties with brokers and try to render the best services to the people."

According to statistics received so far, the police arrested 31 land brokers in the Dhubri district, 43 in Barpeta, 22 in Kamrup (M), 60 in Kamrup, 26 in Karimganj, 16 in Nagaon, 16 in Dibrugarh, 27 in Morigaon, 11 in Darrang, 17 in Bajali etc.

However, due to a lack of prima facie evidence, the police could not produce some of the arrested brokers before the court. Say, in the Dhubri district, the police produced 22 of the 31 arrested brokers. They could not produce the other nine brokers before the court due to a lack of prima facie evidence.

At Algapur in the Hailakandi district, the police had to release two brokers, following intervention from the local AIUDF MLA. The SP said that they had no prima evidence against the two and had to set them free.

A senior official said, "Brokers are the products of red tape in offices that compels the public to approach middlemen to get their works done. Besides taking action against brokers, office systems need streamlining. Sometimes, circle officers, ADCs (revenue) get telephone calls from the top asking them to do land-related works by going out of the way. It makes an inlet for middlemen to enter the system."

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