The immigration of landless peasants from East Bengal to the riparian lands of Brahmaputra valley in different parts of Assam which started in the last decade of nineteenth century, gained momentum during the first four decades of the twentieth century. The colonial administration encouraged immigration, because this led to huge utilization of cultivable land and as a result collection of revenue increased. Gradually this immigration created conflicts between the indigenous and the migrant population of the area. Finally, in 1920,  in response to the demand of indigenous people  a system known as the ‘Line System’ was introduced in present-day districts of Barpeta, Marigaon and Nagaon in order to prevent migrants from settling or occupying land, and subsequently the system was extended to other parts of the valley. But the system was not effective as expected.

 

Later the steps taken by the Provincial Government (1937) also did not show positive result due to the lack of their sincerity. In October 1939 this issue of Line System brought to Assam Legislative Assembly, but it has not got proper attention from the members of the Assembly. As a result, the socio-political situation of the region had already been altered to a large extent by the beginning of the 1940s.

 

In today’s lecture, Prof. Mohammed Taher dealt with this entire issue through the lens of a social geographer. In the speech of moderator Prof. Sunil Pawan Baruah, Former Head, Dept. of History, B Barooah College said that the Line System of Assam is such a critical issue which is need to discussed broadly before formulating any act related to Land Policy.

 

The latest issue of Quest – Dimensions of Freedom Movement was released on the occasion by Prof SP Baruah. The Chairman, Shri DK Barthakur welcomed the audience and spoke about the significance of Guru Poornima. Prof DC Baroowa, Director, Reearch Advisory Council, introduced the guests and informed the gathering about the background to the series on Land Policy.

 

The program ended with a fruitful interactive session.

 

[It would be of interest to readers that VKIC's research-based journal, Quest has introduced a 10-year subscription of Rs.2,100/- in addition to the 3-yearly subscription of Rs.700/-]