GUWAHATI: The Assam government is considering the possibilities of framing a law to stop the transfer of land from the natives to the non-natives. This was announced by Himanta Biswa Sarma while speaking at the All Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union’s 20th Kendriya Swahid Divas Udjapon at Golokganj in Dhubri on 6th January 2021, Wednesday.
Sarma said that the land of the state has been taken away either forcibly or by deceit, especially in the Muslim majority areas of Barpeta, Nagaon, Morigaon regions. Appealing to all indigenous people not to sell off their land, he announced about the possibilities of a new law to prevent land transfer.
However, the government has been mulling about such a law since 2019. Around June 2019, local media had reported that the state government is considering the possibilities of bringing in an Act to protect the indigenous people's rights over land — both agricultural and residential. Reportedly, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had apprised the revenue department to consider the feasibility of such an action. Similar considerations were also reported during the CAA protests in December 2019. But no administrative step has been taken in this regard as yet.
Notably, such laws are already in place in the Sixth Schedule areas to protect the land rights of the tribal belts.
