Displacement in the name of non-existing organisations: Citizens pledge to protest against unreasonable steps of the administration

Dainik Janambhumi, Guwahati. January 17, 2007

City Bureau

It’s not new for the administration of Guwahati to displace pattaless age-old inhabitants of the city. But this displacement undertaken by the administration on the basis of fake excuses has created a new problem for the people. While several protests were carried out by various organisations and people of localities trying hard and long to legalise the status of the plots they have their houses, lately the abysmal treatment to occupiers of such pattaless land by the administration on the pretext of minor incidents managed to created strong reactions among the concerned circles.

People are offended by officials of the revenue department of the district administration trying to allocate land to certain non-existent organisations and to achieve that end, they are displacing citizens who have been residing on these plots for a long time. A few days ago, such an incident in Beltola made the Guwahati Bhumi Pattakaran Samiti express anger against the administration. They pointed out that such incidents in future might lead to dangerous consequences. The Samiti’s General Secretary Prabinjyoti Kalita expressed that if such incidents are repeated again they will resort to revolt against the administration. He also clearly mentioned about the class of officials and the baseless organisations related to the matter.

On the other hand, displacement continues in the name of beautification of the city and of establishment of Governmental offices. At a time when hundreds of thousands of pattaless people are demanding allocation of patta and when various organisations are carrying out programmes supporting these claims, such displacements based on minor excuses are really unfortunate and it is feared by the concerned circles that these incidents can spark of revolts in future. They also pointed out that the government should rehabilitate the people it had displaced. Otherwise it might lead to unprecedented anger of the people for being declared aliens in their own places.