Three member delegation team of ICITP-NEZ held a meeting with Shri V. Kishore Chandra Deo, the Hon'ble Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Government of India today at 5:00 PM in his office. The ICITP-NEZ team apprised him of the progress of official procedures in regards to setting up of the Regional Centre of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) at Bhairabkund, Udalguri and sought his intervention to expedite initiating the work of the Regional Centre for the greater interest of the Tribal People in the region at the earliest. The Minister assured to take up the matter with the Minister of HRD Shri Kapil Sibal.
The team briefed him about the deplorable conditions of the Tribal Peoples in Assam encroachment in the tribal belts and blocks areas due to non-enforcement and implementation of Chapter X of Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act 1886 (Amendment 1947) to protect the tribal land in Assam. The Minister assured the team to take up the matters urgently with the Home Minister with his recommendation to address the tribal land issue in Assam.
The team comprised with Mr. Jebra Ram Muchahary, President, ICITP-NEZ; Mr. Gobinda Basumatari, Social Worker; Mr. Sanjoy Swargia, Human Rights Activist.
The following appeal letter was submitted to Shri V. Kishore Chandra Deo.
To,
Mr. V. Kishore Chandra Deo,
Hon’ble Minister of Tribal Affairs, Government of India,
5, A-Wing, Krishi Bhawan, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road, New Delhi – 110001
Dated, New Delhi, the 7th September, 2012
Sub: - Appeal for intervention into:
(1) Financial approval for setting up of the Regional Centre of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University in Bhairabkunda, (BTAD) Assam;
(2) Enforcement and implementation of Chapter X of Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act 1886 (Amendment 1947) to protect the tribal land in Assam.
Sir,
With due respect may we the undersigned draw your kind attention to the following few lines for your prompt and sympathetic considerations.
That Sir, the sons of the soil (Boro and other tribal) of the locality who are socio-economically down-trodden did approach the authority of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, in the year 2010 with a request to open a Regional Centre of the IGNTU at Bhairabkunda in BTAD area of Assam to which the authority responded positively and suggested to fulfil the necessary pre-requirements, such as – allotment of land, approval of the state government and approval of MHRD of the Government of India and also the approval of the Executive Council of the University. All these pre-requirements have been accomplished so far. The last thing we need to do for enabling to start the Regional Centre is financial approval from the MHRD. We have been informed by the IGNTU authority that necessary communications in this regard have been done by them and the file is stuck for the last considerable months with the Joint Secretary, MHRD, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi due to which the Regional Centre could not be started though it was supposed to do with the beginning of the last academic session.
That Sir, another issue we would like bring forward for your kind attention is about enforcement and implementation of Chapter X of Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act 1886 (Amendment 1947) to protect the tribal land in Assam. With view to protecting and safeguarding the identity of the sons of the soil of Assam with their language, culture and customs the Chapter X was inducted in the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act 1886 by amendment of it in 1947 and created thereof 33 Tribal Belts and Block in Assam. Later on the Belts and Blocks were increased to 47 which covered the total area of 1, 25, 28, 320 (One crore, twenty five lacs twenty eight thousand three hundred twenty) bighas of land. Some parts of these have been dereserved by the state government from time to time and total area of the Belts and Block at present covers only 85, 80, 842 bighas of land. The provision of Chapter X inducted into the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act 1886 (Amendment 1947) was done by the Assam State Act and therefore is not included in the 9th Schedule of the Indian constitution. As per the provision of the Chapter X, only those non-tribal and their descendants who were living within the belt and block area before 1948, i.e. before the constitution of the tribal Belts and Blocks have right to have land and have right to buy land and sell off land but of course, to tribal only. The provisions of the Chapter X of the ALRR Act 1886 (Amendment 1947) have given exclusive authority to the tribal and the peoples of backward groups (Santhal, Oraon, Khariya and Koch Rajbangsi) over the land of the tribal belts and blocks. Unfortunately the successive governments of Assam have been neglecting to enforce and implement the provisions of the said Act. Instead of enforcing the law, the politicians as well as the bureaucrats Assam were seen to be encouraging the unauthorized people to encroach the land of the Belts and Blocks. Consequently 60% land of the 47 tribal belts and blocks has been encroached during last 66 years and the sons of the soil have turned into the landless people and demographically a microscopic minority in their inherited land due to constant conspiracy and deliberate negligence of the political leaders as well as the bureaucrats of Assam. The sixty six years rule of Indian independence has given us nothing but only the brunt of exploitation, oppression, suppression, forced assimilation and marginalization resulting to direct threat to our very existence. The recent spurt of ethnic ]clash between the sons of the soil and the illegal migrants in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts of Assam is but a spontaneous and natural outburst of the apprehension that has cropped up in the minds of the Boro and other tribal people.
That Sir, we, the sons of the soil of Assam, want to live in peace with dignity and with distinct identity of our own language, culture and traditional customs within our inherited land and territories. We want our identity, our language and rich cultural heritage to be protected and safeguarded under the provisions of the Indian constitution as we consider ourselves as the inseparable part of the great Indian community.
Therefore we would like to place these appeal for your kind intervention and sympathetic consideration:
1. Into the matter of financial approval which is stuck in the office of the Joint Secretary, MHRD, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi, for immediate setting up of the Regional Centre of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University in Bhairabkunda, Udalguri (BTAD), Assam;
2. Take prompt and pragmatic step for immediate enforcement and implementation of the provisions of Chapter X of the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act 1886 (Amendment 1947) and protect the tribal land in Assam as it has been done in other parts of the country;
3. Take immediate step to include Chapter X of the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act 1886 (Amendment 1947) into the 9th Schedule of the Indian Constitution to ensure safety and security of and of the 47 tribal belts and blocks with view to protecting the identity, language, culture and traditional customs of the sons of the soil of Assam.
Thanking you with anticipation, Sir!
Sincerely yours,
(Jebra Ram Muchahary) (Gobinda Basumatari) (Sanjoy Swargiary)
President, ICITP-NEZ Social Worker Human Rights Activist
The team briefed him about the deplorable conditions of the Tribal Peoples in Assam encroachment in the tribal belts and blocks areas due to non-enforcement and implementation of Chapter X of Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act 1886 (Amendment 1947) to protect the tribal land in Assam. The Minister assured the team to take up the matters urgently with the Home Minister with his recommendation to address the tribal land issue in Assam.
The team comprised with Mr. Jebra Ram Muchahary, President, ICITP-NEZ; Mr. Gobinda Basumatari, Social Worker; Mr. Sanjoy Swargia, Human Rights Activist.
The following appeal letter was submitted to Shri V. Kishore Chandra Deo.
To,
Mr. V. Kishore Chandra Deo,
Hon’ble Minister of Tribal Affairs, Government of India,
5, A-Wing, Krishi Bhawan, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road, New Delhi – 110001
Dated, New Delhi, the 7th September, 2012
Sub: - Appeal for intervention into:
(1) Financial approval for setting up of the Regional Centre of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University in Bhairabkunda, (BTAD) Assam;
(2) Enforcement and implementation of Chapter X of Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act 1886 (Amendment 1947) to protect the tribal land in Assam.
Sir,
With due respect may we the undersigned draw your kind attention to the following few lines for your prompt and sympathetic considerations.
That Sir, the sons of the soil (Boro and other tribal) of the locality who are socio-economically down-trodden did approach the authority of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, in the year 2010 with a request to open a Regional Centre of the IGNTU at Bhairabkunda in BTAD area of Assam to which the authority responded positively and suggested to fulfil the necessary pre-requirements, such as – allotment of land, approval of the state government and approval of MHRD of the Government of India and also the approval of the Executive Council of the University. All these pre-requirements have been accomplished so far. The last thing we need to do for enabling to start the Regional Centre is financial approval from the MHRD. We have been informed by the IGNTU authority that necessary communications in this regard have been done by them and the file is stuck for the last considerable months with the Joint Secretary, MHRD, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi due to which the Regional Centre could not be started though it was supposed to do with the beginning of the last academic session.
That Sir, another issue we would like bring forward for your kind attention is about enforcement and implementation of Chapter X of Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act 1886 (Amendment 1947) to protect the tribal land in Assam. With view to protecting and safeguarding the identity of the sons of the soil of Assam with their language, culture and customs the Chapter X was inducted in the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act 1886 by amendment of it in 1947 and created thereof 33 Tribal Belts and Block in Assam. Later on the Belts and Blocks were increased to 47 which covered the total area of 1, 25, 28, 320 (One crore, twenty five lacs twenty eight thousand three hundred twenty) bighas of land. Some parts of these have been dereserved by the state government from time to time and total area of the Belts and Block at present covers only 85, 80, 842 bighas of land. The provision of Chapter X inducted into the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act 1886 (Amendment 1947) was done by the Assam State Act and therefore is not included in the 9th Schedule of the Indian constitution. As per the provision of the Chapter X, only those non-tribal and their descendants who were living within the belt and block area before 1948, i.e. before the constitution of the tribal Belts and Blocks have right to have land and have right to buy land and sell off land but of course, to tribal only. The provisions of the Chapter X of the ALRR Act 1886 (Amendment 1947) have given exclusive authority to the tribal and the peoples of backward groups (Santhal, Oraon, Khariya and Koch Rajbangsi) over the land of the tribal belts and blocks. Unfortunately the successive governments of Assam have been neglecting to enforce and implement the provisions of the said Act. Instead of enforcing the law, the politicians as well as the bureaucrats Assam were seen to be encouraging the unauthorized people to encroach the land of the Belts and Blocks. Consequently 60% land of the 47 tribal belts and blocks has been encroached during last 66 years and the sons of the soil have turned into the landless people and demographically a microscopic minority in their inherited land due to constant conspiracy and deliberate negligence of the political leaders as well as the bureaucrats of Assam. The sixty six years rule of Indian independence has given us nothing but only the brunt of exploitation, oppression, suppression, forced assimilation and marginalization resulting to direct threat to our very existence. The recent spurt of ethnic ]clash between the sons of the soil and the illegal migrants in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts of Assam is but a spontaneous and natural outburst of the apprehension that has cropped up in the minds of the Boro and other tribal people.
That Sir, we, the sons of the soil of Assam, want to live in peace with dignity and with distinct identity of our own language, culture and traditional customs within our inherited land and territories. We want our identity, our language and rich cultural heritage to be protected and safeguarded under the provisions of the Indian constitution as we consider ourselves as the inseparable part of the great Indian community.
Therefore we would like to place these appeal for your kind intervention and sympathetic consideration:
1. Into the matter of financial approval which is stuck in the office of the Joint Secretary, MHRD, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi, for immediate setting up of the Regional Centre of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University in Bhairabkunda, Udalguri (BTAD), Assam;
2. Take prompt and pragmatic step for immediate enforcement and implementation of the provisions of Chapter X of the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act 1886 (Amendment 1947) and protect the tribal land in Assam as it has been done in other parts of the country;
3. Take immediate step to include Chapter X of the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Act 1886 (Amendment 1947) into the 9th Schedule of the Indian Constitution to ensure safety and security of and of the 47 tribal belts and blocks with view to protecting the identity, language, culture and traditional customs of the sons of the soil of Assam.
Thanking you with anticipation, Sir!
Sincerely yours,
(Jebra Ram Muchahary) (Gobinda Basumatari) (Sanjoy Swargiary)
President, ICITP-NEZ Social Worker Human Rights Activist
