Guwahati (Assam) [India], February 16 (ANI): In a move to bring about revolutionary changes in land management and land revenue system, Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Basundhara 3.0 will be started in full throttle in the state after the Lok Sabha elections.
Moreover, he also announced that the government has decided to reserve the revenue villages with 100 percent inhabitation of ST and SC communities.
Informing this at the closing ceremony of Mission Basundhara 2.0 at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati on Friday, Chief Minister Dr Sarma said that Mission Basundhara 3.0 will be more comprehensive in terms of land management and ensuring reservation of the revenue villages with 100 percent habitation of ST and SC communities.
It may be noted that, launched on May 8, 2022, Mission Basundhara 1.0 delivered 10 land-related services to the people and eight lakh land-related cases have been disposed of.
On the other hand, Mission Basundhara 2.0, launched on November 14, 2022, could address the land rights of the people of the state.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Dr Sarma said that ever since coming to power, the present government has been relentless in bringing about revolutionary changes in land revenue and land rights systems, along with making land revenue services digital.
He said that Mission Basundhara 2.0, was launched mainly to address the needs of the indigenous people and it ushered in a new ray of hope for the indigenous people.
He said that under Mission Basundhara 2.0 with more than 13 lakh applications, 84 percent of people who were given an ‘Offer of Settlement’ belong to ST, SC, OBC and MOBC. Under Mission Basundhara 2.0, in Brahmaputra Valley more than 3 lakh bigha and in Barak Valley, more than 1 thousand bigha of land were settled.
Dr Sarma also said that under Mission Basundhara 3.0, some next-generation reformation will be brought about in the state.
He said that as part of Mission Basundhara 2.0, for giving ‘Offer of Settlement’ or land rights, people living for the last three generations in the state were considered, as a result of which people belonging to the tea and Adivasi communities suffered.
“In Mission Basundhara 3.0, the ‘definition of three generations’ will be waived off for the tea and Adivasi community people. For the people of the Gorkha community, similar systems like tea and Adivasi community will be applicable. Similarly, people belonging to ST and SC communities will not have to submit a certificate of three generations to get land rights. Moreover, some organizations, and cooperative societies that have been occupying the land without proper rights, will also be given land rights under Mission Basundhara 3.0 with certain criteria. The people who are living in Sunsali areas of Guwahati and Tea Garden Grant areas of Dibrugarh will be given one-time opportunity under Mission Basundhara 3.0 to apply for land pattas,” Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
He added that if such allotted lands are utilized for purposes other than those stated for the purpose as per the policy, penal provisions would be introduced and applied by the authorities.
He further appealed to the concerned officials to take up divisions of exmali patta as a priority area.
The Chief Minister also said a new service would be launched to facilitate digital delivery of geospatial maps with the aim of strengthening the land-record system across the State.
Referring to the National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) by the Union Ministry of Rural Development’s Department of Land Resources, Chief Minister Sarma said currently this project is being implemented across six offices of the Deputy Registrar in Kamrup and Darrang districts. Stating that a land revenue collection drive would soon be launched, the Chief Minister asked the concerned officials to depose applications for land sale permission without any undue delay, referring to the government’s attempt at declaring areas of Majuli, Harpeta, Narayanpur and Batadrava as protected belts and blocks. the Chief Minister spoke about the current regime’s intention to bring villages with 100 percent scheduled tribes and scheduled castes populations under a similar category.
During his speech, the Chief Minister said the land within riverine areas would be surveyed under Mission Basundhara 4.0.
He said a land survey of riverine areas was not an option but a necessity as inhabitants in certain riverine areas pose risks to the surrounding ecology and the environment.
The Chief Minister said in the next 5 years, the aim is to establish a modern land revenue system that will be able to provide innovative solutions to all land-related problems in the State. He also said the government would take steps to change the names of designations such as Mandal’s rights after the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
He further appealed to the district commissioners to take steps to train at least 10-12 grade III employees within their respective offices in land-related matters for quicker and time-bound disposal of land-related services.
Revenue Minister Jogen Mohan also spoke on the occasion, which was attended among others by Chief Secretary Paban Kumar Borthakur, Additional Chief Secretary Home and Political Avinash Joshi, Principal Secretary Revenue G.D. Tripathi. (ANI)
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