Assam Forms Permanent Satra Aayog as Eviction Drives Target Over 15,000 Bighas of Monastery Land
Identifying 15,288 bighas of illegally held Satra lands, the government is formalizing monastery ownership under Mission Basundhara 3.0 to protect Assam’s cultural hubs.
Overview
- The Assam Satra Land Problem Monitoring and Investigation Commission’s June 9 report revealed illegal occupation of 15,288 bighas across 303 Satras in 11 districts.
- Barpeta district topped the list with 7,137 bighas of encroached monastery land, followed by Bajali, Nagaon, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Kamrup, Bongaigaon, Majuli, and Dhubri.
- Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the creation of a permanent Satra Aayog with financial and administrative authority to implement the report’s recommendations.
- Mission Basundhara 3.0 has launched eviction drives and protective zoning measures, including legal land patta distribution, to reclaim and formalize Satra land ownership.
- The permanent Satra Aayog will steer a 25-year vision plan to revitalize the Vaishnavite monasteries as educational, cultural, and spiritual centers.