Shillong, May 10: The Territorial and Autonomous District Councils of Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, and Meghalaya have emphasized the importance of digitization and modernization of land records for development during the National Conference on “Land Governance in North Eastern States.”
The conference, which was held on May 3-4, 2023, in Guwahati, was organized by Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, and Department of Land Resources, with the support of Revenue Department, Government of Assam. Ajay Tirkey, Secretary of the Department of Land Resources, presided over the conference, with other senior officers in attendance.
Representatives of various Autonomous District Councils participated in the conference and discussed the current state practices and modernization of land records, Land Governance Assessment Framework, Customary and Indigenous Laws, and the Role of Survey of India in Land Records Modernization. Although computerization and digitization initiatives have been successful in some areas of Assam, gaps were identified in the regions under Bodoland Territorial Council, Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council, and Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council.
The conference also revealed the need for a Bodoland Land Policy, survey and settlement in Karbi Anglong areas, and surveys of non-cadastral areas under Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council. The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous Council has eight districts and ten customary laws, and surveys/resurveys were needed in the Lai Autonomous District Council areas of Sixth Schedule. In the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council areas, land is mostly owned by the community, and the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council has a system of issuing annual Pattas by District Council. The Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council follows the Meghalaya Land Survey and Records Preparation Act, 1980.
Ajay Tirkey complimented the efforts of Anandhi, Deputy Director of LBSNAA, in organizing the conference and stressed that all efforts would be made to support the Councils within the Constitutional framework and established laws. He also announced that a Task Force for Land Governance in North-Eastern States would be established, and various Autonomous District Councils were requested to submit their proposals for digitization and modernization of land records under Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP).
