Around 1900 hectares of land belonging to 303 Vaishnav monasteries in Assam are under encroachment, an interim report prepared by a panel of MLAs has revealed. The Commission for the Review and Assessment of Problems of Satra Land submitted the interim report to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday evening.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said “the government will take all steps to clear encroachment. This is the first time that a concerted effort in this direction is being made”.
However, the Chief Minister said the government will also verify the findings through its administrative machinery as there might be changes in Satra land ownership legally due to changes in revenue department provisions and new laws over the years.
Quoting the interim report, news agency PTI reported that 33,265.7 bighas (8,413.89 ha) of land is under the possession of the Satras and 7,504.2 bighas (1,898.04 ha) has been encroached upon. The maximum encroachment has been reported in Barpeta district (5,545 bighas), followed by Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Bongaigaon and Dhubri.
The three-member Commission, constituted following a Cabinet decision last year, was headed by Asom Gana Parishad MLA Pradip Hazarika and had BJP legislators Mrinal Saikia and Rupak Sarma as members. The main objective of the Commission was to examine closely the problem of Satra land and verify the extent of encroachment and come out with specific recommendations for a long-term solution.
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