Assam Assembly passes bill to create Satra Commission to protect Vaishnavite centres

Guwahati, Nov 27 (PTI) The Assam Assembly on Thursday passed a bill to set up a quasi-judicial body — the Satra Preservation and Development Commission — for the protection, maintenance and regulation of Vaishnavite monasteries During the passage of 'The Assam Satra Preservation and Development Commission Bill, 2025', Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta said Satras were facing challenges such as encroachment, fragmented records and weak institutional coordination, impeding lawful protection, conservation and sustainable management of the centres.

The bill will establish the Assam Satra Preservation and Development Commission as a specialised, quasi-judicial body to protect, preserve, manage, maintain and regulate Satras and their lands, he added.

The Commission will also entertain appeals against orders of district commissioners, undertake surveys and suo motu inquiries on encroachment, and recommend conservation measures for heritage structures and artefacts.

For effective adjudication and enforcement, the Commission is vested with powers of a civil court and exercises jurisdiction to the exclusion of civil courts on matters it is empowered to determine.

The officials in the Commission will be deployed on deputation to ensure functionality without creating a permanent establishment burden, Mahanta said.

"The state government may issue policy directions and assign additional duties, actions done in good faith are protected, and a limited power to remove difficulties is provided, consistent with the Act," he added.

The bill, therefore, creates a coherent, accountable and legally robust framework to preserve Assam's Vaishnavite heritage, protect Satra lands from encroachment and misuse, and enable planned, culturally sensitive development in the public interest, Mahanta said.

He also said that this bill is enacted as part of the implementation of the Clause-6 of Assam Accord. PTI TR MNB