Assam CM Sarma says incentives may be withdrawn if tea estates oppose land distribution for workers

Guwahati, Jan 1 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday warned tea garden owners that incentives given to them by the state government could be withdrawn if they oppose granting land rights to their workers.

The state government had brought a legislation in the winter session of the Assembly in November to distribute land in tea estates' labour lines among the workers for housing ownership, the CM said during an interaction with journalists titled 'Natun Diner Alap' (Conversations of a new day) on the occasion of the New Year.

''The response of the tea garden owners is not very positive and we shall withdraw the incentives to those who do not cooperate with the government in this regard'', Sarma said.

The state government gives incentives of around Rs 150 crore annually to the gardens and ''we will definitely reconsider this if they think of going to court or create hurdles along the way'', the CM said.

''After 200 years of the tea industry, it is the right of the labourers to have complete ownership of their land'', Sarma added.

The CM claimed that the land acquisition process has begun and the labourers will be given ownership rights.

Sarma claimed that the 'Assam Fixation of Ceiling of Land Holdings (Amendment) Act, 2025', was brought in to correct a historic mistake by providing land rights to the workers who have been toiling in tea gardens for the last 200 years, uprooted from their native land and brought here by the British.

Assam Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi had expressed doubt over the state government’s decision and had questioned why this law was brought just four months before the elections.

The total number of tea estates in Assam is 825 and the area under labour colonies is over 3 lakh bighas. PTI DG DG MNB