Assam Teas Up Land Reform: Government Unveils Bill to Secure Tea Workers' Homes
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Guwahati: In a significant step towards addressing the housing needs of tea workers, the Assam government on Tuesday introduced an amendment bill in the Assembly. The bill aims to remove 'labour lines' from land meant for ancillary plantation activities, allowing the state to distribute the land to tea workers for housing ownership. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta tabled the 'Assam Fixation of Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 2025' amendment bill. The move is intended to optimize the use of surplus land in tea estates and ensure that tea workers residing in labour lines are provided with clear legal title to the land they occupy. Currently, tea workers living in labour lines lack secure land rights, making them vulnerable to eviction. The amendment bill seeks to address this issue by excluding 'labour lines' from the definition of ancillary purpose. This will enable the government to identify surplus land, resume it in a transparent manner, and put it to productive use. Under the proposed bill, the extent of land to be allotted per tea garden worker's family will be notified by the government periodically. The definition of 'family' will follow the existing Act, while that of tea garden worker will be based on the draft bill. The bill also includes new provisions to strengthen the mechanism for determining and realizing penalties. It identifies a tea garden worker as a permanent or temporary worker and their descendants residing within the labour lines areas of a tea estate. The amendment is expected to have monetary implications, with the government planning to pay compensation to tea estates for the acquisition of labour line lands. The total compensation is estimated to be around ₹65.57 crore, which will be met from existing budgetary allocations. The Assam government's move is seen as a significant step towards securing the land rights of tea workers and improving their living conditions. The bill is expected to benefit over 825 tea estates in the state, where the area under labour colonies is around 2,18,553 bighas.
