Landlessness and rehabilitation of Assam flood victims

Assam flood victims

Since the pre-independence era, the Assam government has implemented several schemes to help those who lost their land due to floods. Even in the post-independence period, provision of land to those who lost their homes due to floods remained a top priority in land distribution and resettlement. Let us examine the proposals offered to those who lost their land due to floods in Assam’s land policies before and after independence.

According to the Land Settlement Policy of 1942, “There are, however, certain classes of emigrants who have established settlement claims which, if not actionable on strict legal grounds, are more or less actionable in equity, and They are the first people to whom the Government proposed to extend the areas of colonization. They may be classified as – (a) People who were settled earlier, but whose land was destroyed by the Brahmaputra or other rivers; Did it.”
The Land Settlement Proposal of 1945 contained two important recommendations- “(a) A land settlement scheme under the plan to settle the available barren lands be started immediately in the 4 lower districts of the Assam Valley including the Provinces; Landless persons of all classes will be included. Prayers for lands, among them the applications of those who have come from outside the province, if they have come to the province before 1st January 1938. ( b) Any of the landless, who have lost their land due to erosion or military requisition, shall be given priority in the allotment of lands under the scheme.”
According to the Agricultural Land Settlement Details of 1958, “Total surplus cultivable land available is insufficient to meet the demand of individual cultivators. Future settlement for agricultural purposes shall be done with the cooperation of the cultivators as far as possible.” When individuals are to be settled, the area should generally be limited to 8 to 12 bighas according to the fertility of the land.”(a) Settlement holders who have been rendered landless by floods, river erosion or earthquakes and whose lands have been or have been acquired by the Government for public purposes. (b) Landless cultivators and displaced persons. Persons. (c) squatters who have been rendered landless by river erosion and who are occupying reserves with the permission of the Deputy Commissioner. Such occupants shall not be removed unless alternative land is provided.

In the Land Scheme of 1989, the government promised to give preference to the following people in allotment and settlement for general cultivation:(a) Land-owning cultivators who have become landless due to floods, erosion, earthquakes, or other natural disasters. (b) Landless persons due to acquisition of their lands for public purposes. (c) Local landless cultivators. Preference will be given to farmers belonging to Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC) and MOBC communities. (d) Landless ex-servicemen.Now coming to the land plan which was announced by the Assam government in 2019. As per the stated land policy, the following groups shall be given priority wherever possible in acquiring land for general cultivation in rural areas:
(a) Local landowning cultivators who have been rendered landless by floods, erosion, earthquakes and other natural calamities. (b) Local landless cultivators. Preference will be given to landless indigenous farmers belonging to Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and OBC/MOBC communities. (c) Native widows who have no earning sons or daughters (except a married daughter) provided such widows intend to take up agriculture as a means of livelihood. (d) Indigenous single women, disabled persons and ex-servicemen who are willing and able to take up agriculture as a means of livelihood.
In the 2019 scheme, rural areas were defined as areas within 15 km from the boundaries of Guwahati Municipal Corporation, 5 km from the boundaries of other municipal towns and 3 km from the boundaries of revenue towns.

According to paragraph 1.1 of the scheme, settlement will be provided on government-owned land allotted to local landless farmers for general cultivation if the recipient uses the land in accordance with the terms of allotment for three years. However, such settlements will be sanctioned only after payment of premium by the Government.
Let us now talk about the goodwill of the Assam government. People displaced by floods have been living on embankments, forests, government special land, VGR, PGR, land owned by religious organizations, etc. for many years as the Assam government has completely failed to rehabilitate them.

There are numerous schemes which promise to give land to these people but in practice there is no reduction in their suffering. Here is an example of how the Assam government is trying to classify such persons through schemes.