Bill to grant tea garden workers land rights to be tabled in November: CM Sarma
Chief Minister in Udalguri pledges tea garden land must remain with workers, ensuring their rightful claim
A file image of chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. (Photo:@himantabiswa/X)
Guwahati, Sept 11: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Thursday, announced that a bill granting land rights to workers in tea garden areas will be tabled in the upcoming State Legislative Assembly session.
Addressing a BJP election rally in Udalguri’s Bhergaon constituency in BTR, Sarma said, “In November, we will pass a bill ensuring that land rights in tea garden areas go to the workers and labourers, not to the garden owners.”
Sarma also took aim at the alleged bribery culture in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), saying that if BJP comes to power in Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), it will do away with the Village Council Development Committees (VCDC) in the Sixth Schedule region.
“People are forced to pay bribes even for small schemes. For an Arunodoi Asoni form, villagers are charged Rs 400–500. Houses meant for the poor require payments to the VCDC. This must end. If VCDCs are needed, they must come through fair elections, not overnight appointments,” Sarma said.
He further assured that five lakh families in BTR would be brought under the Arunodoi scheme within a month if the BJP is voted to power, while five lakh women will receive Rs 10,000 each under Self Help Groups.
The Chief Minister is campaiging for the BJP in the upcoming BTC elections scheduled for September 22. Earlier, Sarma had covered about 36 constituencies in the region in his campaign trail.
On polling day, a total of 26,57,937 voters—including 13,23,399 men, 13,34,521 women, and 17 registered as “Others”—will cast their votes across 3,359 polling stations, a 6.77% increase from 2020.
A public holiday has also been declared on September 22 within the jurisdiction of the BTC to facilitate smooth conduct of the elections.
The holiday has been declared under Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, in compliance with the directive of the Assam State Election Commission.
Notably, all government and non-government offices, educational institutions, business establishments, banks and tea gardens within the BTC areas will remain closed on the polling day.