The Assam Assembly has passed a significant bill aimed at granting land rights to tea garden workers, amid sloganeering and sharp exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches. The legislation amends the Assam Fixation of Ceiling on Land Holdings Act to remove “labour lines” from the category of ancillary tea plantation land, allowing the state to acquire these areas and provide pattas (land ownership documents) to workers.
The bill, introduced by Minister Keshab Mahanta, ensures that permanent and temporary workers — along with their descendants — from Tea-tribe and Adivasi communities will be recognized as beneficiaries, provided they reside in the labour colonies at the time of enactment.
With around 825 tea estates and more than 2,18,553 bighas under labour settlements, the government estimates compensation to plantation owners at over ₹65 crore. Supporters hail the initiative as a long-awaited justice for workers, while the opposition cautions about possible administrative and land-use complications.
