Will reclaim 4,400 acres of encroached land belonging to satras: Himanta
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Guwahati: Assam CM
Himanta Biswa Sarma
on Friday reiterated his govt's pledge to reclaim over 4,400 acres of land, belonging to 922 Vaishnavite satras (monastic institutions) in four districts of the state, alleging that they have been encroached upon by illegal immigrants during previous Congress govts.
"The Congress govt ignored sentiments of the indigenous people, while pandering to their illegal immigrant vote bank, which led to 922 Satra lands being encroached upon. Thousands of bighas of Satra lands are encroached across major centres," Sarma posted on X. Detailing the extent of encroachment, Sarma wrote that 7,137 bighas (2,355 acres) of satra land in Barpeta, 2,583.79 bighas (852 acres) in Nagaon, 2,757.39 bighas (909 acres) in Bajali and 896.76 bighas (295 acres) in Lakhimpur were being occupied by illegal immigrants.
"We are on a mission to reclaim them," the CM added.
The state govt has previously launched large-scale eviction and land recovery drives, successfully reclaiming significant portions of encroached land in recent years. To further protect these heritage sites, the Assam assembly has also passed the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024, which restricts outsiders from buying land near heritage institutions, including major satras.
In a comprehensive approach, the govt has also established a temporary Satra Aayog (commission) to oversee the protection, welfare and sustainable development of satras, with a long-term vision plan for their revival and preservation. This includes initiating legal and administrative reforms, such as satellite mapping and protective zoning under Mission Basundhara 3.0, to formalize land ownership and prevent further encroachment.
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