Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam is running out of space. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta told the Assembly on July 24 that finding government land for flood and erosion victims has become a major roadblock. Laws like the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation of 1886 exist, yet they offer little help when the dirt simply is not there.
The Assam Land Policy of 2019 prioritizes those losing homes to nature. Even so, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wants to rewrite the rules to speed up the process. Mahanta said that illegal encroachment remains a massive problem. Many plots are already occupied, often by the very people who need help.
The state is pinning its hopes on a new survey of riverine char areas. This project aims to spot available plots that the government can legally distribute once the paperwork clears. Legislators remain skeptical of the current progress.
Congress MLA Abdur Rahim Ahmed demanded immediate action for those stuck without land rights. "Many char dwellers are unable to access rehabilitation benefits due to the absence of land rights and difficulties in obtaining erosion-affected certificates," Ahmed said. Other members echoed these frustrations.
Jakir Hussain Sikdar noted that families pushed off their land by erosion often face harassment and are wrongly branded as foreigners. Meanwhile, Mehboob Muktar of the Raijor Dal claimed displaced citizens endure deep economic pain and administrative bias. AIUDF MLA Mujibur Rahman and TMC legislator Sherman Ali Ahmed joined the criticism, blaming past administrations for the ongoing failure to secure homes for the displaced.
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