Guwahati, Feb. 28: A committee constituted by the Assam government to suggest measures to protect land rights of the state’s indigenous population today said it would follow the March 24, 1971, cut-off date while recommending land for the same.

“All who were born in Assam till March 24, 1971, should be considered eligible for land rights. This cut-off date has already been accepted by our government and many organisations for detection and deportation of foreigners and we will also rely on the same while recommending means on how to protect land rights. But those who had migrated from other states and settled here will also be eligible since they are Indian citizens,” chairman of the seven-member committee and former chief election commissioner H.S. Brahma said here.

The committee, notification for which was issued by the state revenue department on February 6, took charge today.

Brahma and six other members — former IAS officer Rohini Kumar Baruah, Gauhati University Law College dean Ramesh Borpatragohain, senior Gauhati High Court advocate Anil Bhattacharya, historian Srikumar Dohutia, former MLA Ajoy Dutta and commissioner and secretary of the state revenue department Rajesh Prasad discussed the issues in its first meeting today.

The committee has been asked to submit its recommendations within 90 days.

Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal recently told the Assembly that the committee was constituted to suggest measures for protection of land rights of indigenous people, check encroachment and protect forests and wetlands. The ruling party said the measure was aimed at meeting the BJP’s pre-poll promise to protect jati (community), mati (land) and bheti (home).

Sonowal made the statement after Opposition parties slammed the state government for the eviction drive carried out by the government in Nagaon, Darrang and Morigaon districts since September last year.

Brahma today said each farmer in the state at present owns a little over one bigha of land, which was much below the necessary level for survival.

“Since we need to study all aspects related to land, today we have requested the state government to provide us the satellite imagery of the encroached land, forests, grazing land, waterbodies and land in the tribal belt. We have also sought data about the land which are in possession of the government and the number of landless people in the state. We need to study every aspect as land is a very sensitive issue in our state and indigenous people are in constant fear of losing their land to immigrants,” Brahma said.

He said officials of the revenue department today informed the committee that digitisation of land records is almost complete and an online land registration facility is likely to be launched in the later part of March.

“We will study all the land and revenue-related rules in the state and suggest if we need a new land use policy or an amendment in the existing ones,” Brahma said.