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KMSS cut-off year for land settlement

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Aug 8 � Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) general secretary Akhil Gogoi today suggested that the cut-off year for granting land settlement right to the people should be June 22, 2011 or the date of constitution of the Dr Bhumidhar Barman led land advisory committee for all those who have settled on the Government land for their survival. However, land used for commercial purposes should be excluded from this provision, he said.

Again, those who have come to Assam prior to March 25, 1971 should be treated as eligible for the purpose, he said.

One family should be allotted a plot of land between 1.5 katha and 3 kathas for residential purposes. A single family should not be allotted land in different areas.

However, the tribal people who are occupying hill and foothill areas traditionally should be granted farming rights over the land under their possession.

Those, who have entered Assam after March 25, 1971, irrespective of their being Indians or aliens, should not be granted land settlement right. The allotments over 3 kathas of land should be cancelled, regardless of the status of the beneficiary. But the land allotted to the public organisations should be excluded from this provision, said the KMSS general secretary.

The land allotted to the big builders and commercial organisations in hilly areas, wetlands and Government land should be taken back, said the KMSS general secretary.

The power for granting land settlement rights should be vested on the gaon sabhas or basti sabhas. These sabhas should be helped by the nagarik or unnayan samitis. Each and every family should be held responsible for checking erosion, for planned plantation of trees and unhindered flow of the streams and other water courses in/through its plot of land.

Those violating such regulations should be fined and repeated violation of the regulations by anyone should make him/her vulnerable to forfeiting land settlement right.

Each of the families should be charged Rs 10,000 as premium for a katha of land allotted to it in the hills and foothill areas. However, the poor families should be charged Rs 3,000 in this respect. Provision should be made to pay this premium in installments or through physical labour.

The money thus collected should be deposited in the joint bank accounts of the revenue officers and the unnayan samitis concerned and spent for developmental activities like development of roads and plantation of trees, the KMSS general secretary said.

He has resented the failure of the State Government�s Land Advisory Committee led by Dr Bhumidhar Barman, to meet the agitationists, who have been agitating on the issue of land settlement rights and particularly the KMSS so far.

He has also questioned the Government�s acts of suppressing the report of the Surajit Mitra Committee on the June 22 incident in the city and sending Mitra out of the State. Moreover, the much trumpeted judicial inquiry commission of the Government on the issue has also failed so far to hold any public hearing, alleged the KMSS general secretary.

He said that all these have hinted at the Government hand behind the June 22 incident.

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