Assam Passes Land Law to Protect Heritage Sites

Guwahati: Assam legislators passed the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, on July 29. The law locks down land transactions within a five-kilometre radius of religious sites older than 250 years. This includes historic locations like the Maa Kamakhya Temple, Barpeta Satra, Majuli, and Batadrava. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma pushed the measure to shield these sites from demographic shifts. Only specific groups may now buy or sell property near these heritage landmarks.

Eligible buyers include local tribal communities, original inhabitants, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, indigenous ethnic groups, and disadvantaged categories. The state defines original inhabitants as families living in the area for three generations before January 1, 2006. Each generation counts as 25 years. The law specifically names Moran, Motok, Chutia, Koch-Rajbongshi, and Ahom as indigenous ethnic communities. Tea Tribes and Adivasis fall under the disadvantaged group umbrella. Future sales to others are banned.

Current landowners holding valid land pattas keep their property. The bill does not work in reverse. District Commissioners now have the power to evict unauthorized occupants, though they cannot move SC, ST, indigenous, or disadvantaged residents. Sarma defended the policy as a neutral effort to save state culture. He insists it applies to all faiths equally. "I feel this is the most secular law we have ever brought in," Sarma said.

Sarma cited the Barpeta Satra as a prime example of why the state needs control. He noted that several mosques emerged near the site over the last five decades. He argued that these legal safeguards are now required for survival. "If any religious institution is more than 250 years old, then only people associated with that institution and local tribal communities within a five-kilometre radius will be able to buy and sell land," the Chief Minister stated. Families living there for three generations by 2006 may stay, even without official land pattas. The government claims these rules will not expand statewide but will remain limited to iconic heritage institutions.