All land ownership issues to be resolved in coming years: Himanta
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday asserted that all land ownership and documents-related issues of eligible people will be resolved in the coming years, as he launched the distribution of land pattas (ownership documents) under ‘Mission Basundhara 3.0’ from Deuri Beel in Dhemaji district. The ‘Mission Basundhara’ scheme includes services like land mutation, updating of land records and delivery of these services to the people at their homes through online mode without them coming to Government offices.
Sarma also initiated the land settlement process in previously unsurveyed (NC) villages where surveys have been completed under the SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas), a central sector scheme towards establishing clear ownership rights in rural areas. Further, under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, forest land rights were granted to 538 individuals residing in the Subansiri and Jiadhal Reserved Forests in the CM’s event, according to an official release.
Speaking on the occasion, Sarma said that 1,06,905 beneficiaries across the state have received land pattas on Friday, of which 44,700 are from Dhemaji district. He said that Dhemaji has been chosen to host the central distribution programme in view of the large number of beneficiaries in the district.
About 80 per cent of land-related issues have been resolved in the past five years, and the remaining cases, estimated at 2–3 lakh will be resolved in the coming years so that indigenous people do not suffer due to land disputes, Sarma claimed. Asserting that land pattas have been granted only to Indian citizens, Sarma said no ‘Bangladeshi national’ will be allowed to occupy land in Assam.
Referring to tea garden workers, he said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally launch the distribution of land pattas to them in the garden lines on March 13. Highlighting the background of Mission Basundhara and the SVAMITVA scheme, the CM maintained that previous Governments had not prioritised systematic distribution of land pattas in Assam. He said that land records in the state were often disorganised, leaving many people unable to obtain legal land ownership despite repeated attempts. In the absence of proper documentation, many faced difficulties in availing bank loans, while others exploited the situation to illegally occupy land.
Sarma said that upon forming the Government five years ago, the first phase of the Mission Basundhara was launched to systematically address land-related issues. Assam has 78,000 square kilometres of land, and resolving all land issues within a short span is not feasible. However, once the process begins, it will eventually reach completion, he added. In 2021, Mission Basundhara 1.0 was introduced to resolve issues such as conversion of annual patta land to periodic patta, correction of errors in land records, and reclassification of land categories. Around 5.82 lakh families benefited under this phase.
