GUWAHATI, July 19 � In view of the growing unrest in the capital city over the issue of settlement rights, rehabilitation of the landless, allotment of government land, etc, the Mahanagar Unnayan Samity, Guwahati has insisted for a joint survey of land by the Revenue department, Forest department and the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC).
The secretary of the Samity, Biren Sarma, said that if the issue is ignored by the government, it would create dissatisfaction amongst a large section of people and would provoke more unsavoury incidents.
�The list by the joint survey team should be made available to all the Unnayan Samities in the city,� said Sarma, adding that there should be no politics on the issue.
It needs to be mentioned here that the land issue has emerged as one of the burning problems of this rapidly growing city. The Samity while pointing out that the problem was unique to the capital city, suggested that a special land policy should be framed for Greater Guwahati only by the government.
�People in large numbers migrate to the gateway the North East seeking a means for survival A host of factors compel the people to come rushing to the capital city,� said Sarma, mentioning that livelihood crisis in rural Assam was the main factor behind large-scale migration.
Sarma said that flood, erosion, and other natural calamities have triggered a livelihood crisis in the countryside and the government has a responsibility towards these people struggling to earn a livelihoodin the city.
On the other hand, the Samity has called upon the authorities to stop eviction until an alternative has been provided to the people. The Samity has suggested a housing scheme to rehabilitate the people occupying the hills and other government land. �A housing scheme could be the answer to settling the people in a way that is acceptable to all,� said Sarma.
