Assam govt slashes land premiums to 10% in cities
CM Sarma expressed confidence that this reduction will deter indigenous landholders from selling their land due to added premium costs
AT Photo: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma addressing media personnel at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra
Guwahati, Oct 20: In a move aimed at provide land rights for residents, the government has reduced land premium rates in city areas from 100% to 10%.
The announcement was made by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during the launch of Mission Basundhara 3.0 at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati on Sunday.
While addressing the gathering, CM Sarma noted that despite the previous reduction in premium from 150% to 100%, many people were still unable to fully benefit from land rights due to high costs.
“After various discussions, our government has decided to further reduce the premium from 100% to 10%. However, if the land patta holder chooses to sell the land in the future, they will be required to pay an additional 50% to the government,” he added.
In a further reduction, for Assam-type houses, the premium has been cut from 30% to just 3% of the total zonal value. These reductions apply to both Mission Basundhara 3.0 and 2.0.
However, if they sell the land in the future, they will be required to pay the remaining 27 percent to the government.
The chief minister expressed confidence that this reduction will discourage indigenous landholders from selling their land due to the additional premium costs involved.
Additionally, the government announced a reduction in land premiums for residents of Guwahati’s hill areas on Friday night. The move aims to provide these inhabitants with long-awaited land rights, as many families in the hills were previously unable to secure land deeds due to unaffordable premiums.
“Under the earlier editions of the scheme, many families living in the city's hills couldn’t avail land rights because of the high premium rates. With the reduced rates under Mission Basundhara 3.0, we aim to make it more affordable for them,” Sarma explained.
In the first two editions of Mission Basundhara, over 10 lakh people across Assam were benefitted.
The latest reductions in land premiums are expected to bring further relief to indigenous families, especially those residing in Guwahati's 19 hills, who have been struggling for decades to obtain secure land rights.
