Indigenous people deceived over land policy

Drafting of the new land policy to secure land rights of theindigenous people is awaiting the final approval of the State Cabinet.

One and a half years passed, the state government is yet to table the bill in the cabinet. It is worth noting that preservation of land rights of the locals has been an integral part of the political plank of the present BJP-AGP-BPF coalition government in the State.

Thenew land policy has been drafted with vital inputs from four primary earliersources: Recommendations of the 'Hari Shankar Brahma committee for protectionof land rights of indigenous people of the state of Assam', the 2016 landpolicy (draft), the different revenue Acts and rules as well as Land Policy,1989.

Once the cabinet grants its approval, the draft copies will be sent to the various departments soliciting their views. The integrated draft will be finally placed before the Cabinet for due approval.

The Brahma Committee formed in 2017 pointed out that lakh ofnative families are landless. The committee also mentioned that in all ofAssam, several bighas of government land, including forest land, grazingground, and others, are under illegal occupation, while lakh of native peopledo not have an inch of land.