Guwahati, Nov 29: The Assam Assembly on Friday passed a landmark amendment to the Assam Fixation of Ceiling of Land Holdings Act, 2025, granting land ownership rights to tea garden workers residing in labour lines. The bill aims to recognize the long-standing contributions of tea estate labourers and improve their social and economic standing.

The passage of the bill saw protests from the opposition AIUDF, which demanded land rights for residents of riverine ‘char’ areas, while ruling BJP members responded with slogans praising Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Following the bill’s approval by voice vote, AIUDF lawmakers staged a walkout.

Speaking during the session, CM Sarma described the move as correcting a historic wrong, noting that tea estate workers have served Assam’s plantations for over two centuries after being brought by the British. He assured that surveys of char areas have begun and pledged to address AIUDF’s demands for land rights there.

Under the amendment, labour lines or tea garden colonies will no longer be classified as ancillary land. The government will acquire these lands from tea companies and distribute them to current dwellers recognized as tea tribes. Assam has 825 tea estates with labour colonies covering about 2,18,553 bighas. Compensation for the land will be approximately Rs 3,000 per bigha, totaling around Rs 65.57 crore. A 20-year lock-in period will restrict the sale of allotted land, allowing transfers only to other tea tribes from the same estates.

CM Sarma highlighted welfare initiatives, including support schemes for workers to build homes, and criticized the Congress party for historically neglecting tea tribe welfare. He also addressed concerns regarding char land rights, assuring that legal residents, especially those in Assam before 1951, will be recognized as indigenous and granted entitlements.

Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta, who introduced the bill, said that over 14 lakh beneficiaries would receive justice after 200 years of service to Assam’s tea industry. The session also witnessed a heated exchange between CM Sarma and independent legislator Akhil Gogoi.

The amendment marks a historic policy shift, formally recognizing land ownership rights for Assam’s tea garden labour community and aiming to enhance their social and economic welfare.j