Will reclaim ‘char’ areas from encroachers: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister plans to reclaim river islands and establish heritage belts to protect land and preserve ecology.

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said his government would undertake a mission to reclaim the ‘chars’ — sandbars or river ‘islands’ — from encroachers to safeguard the “ecological integrity” of the Brahmaputra Valley.

He also said the government would start establishing heritage belts and blocks encompassing religious and historic sites where non-indigenous people would not be allowed to acquire land toward making “Assam safe for the coming generations”.

“We will start Mission Basundhara 4.0 to reclaim land in the char areas. We will conduct a survey of these chars and carry out eviction,” the Chief Minister said, launching Mission Basundhara 3.0, a flagship scheme to ensure land rights for landless indigenous people of the State.

There are more than 3,500 chars on a network of rivers dominated by the Brahmaputra in Assam. Most of these chars, allegedly without proper regulation, are inhabited and cultivated by Bengali Muslims, often viewed as “illegal immigrants” or “Bangladeshi”.

Mr. Sarma said under Mission Basundhara 4.0, chars of permanent nature would be identified for reclamation toward limiting land acquisition and promoting sustainable land management practices. “The idea is to uphold the delicate ecological balance while addressing the pressing issue of landlessness in Assam,” he added.

“In cases of extensive landholdings, excess land will be reclaimed by the government for public use with a focus on preserving the ecological balance and integrity of the Brahmaputra basin,” he said.

The Chief Minister defended the government’s move to establish heritage belts and blocks, similar to the tribal belts and blocks introduced during British rule to insulate such lands from settlers.