In a landmark development, the Assam Legislative Assembly on Friday passed the Assam Fixation of Ceiling on Land Holdings (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The legislation paves the way for granting legal land ownership, known as “pattas”, to more than three lakh tea garden workers. This will grant land ownership rights to people from the Tea Tribe and Adivasi communities, who have toiled on the state’s sprawling tea estates for generations without formal rights to their residential “labour lines”, as those colonies are owned by the estate owners.
Introduced by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta earlier this week during the ongoing session of the assembly, the bill amends the existing 1956 Land Ceiling Act by excluding labour lines from the definition of land used for “purposes ancillary to special cultivation.” This reclassification allows the state government to treat these areas as “surplus land” and redistribute them to eligible workers for housing purposes, covering approximately 2.18 lakh bighas across 825 tea estates.
As per the provisions of the amendment, families living in labour lines will receive land pattas for the land they occupy. As per the govt, around 3.33 lakh workers would be issued pattas for approximately 2.18 lakh bighas of land per family. The land cannot be sold for 20 years, and after that it can be sold only to tea garden worker families. A dedicated housing scheme for tea workers will be rolled out within two months, after district-level surveys.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hailed the passage as a “historic moment,” emphasizing that it would finally provide “dignity and security” to over 3.30 lakh families whose ancestors were brought to Assam by British colonial planters over 200 years ago. He called it a “A giant leap for justice and a historic moment for Assam,” in a post on X.
From generations of uncertainty to a future of ownership ?
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 28, 2025
The Land Ceiling Amendment Bill 2025 will give over 3.30 lakh families of Assam’s tea community legal rights to their land.
A giant leap for justice and a historic moment for Assam. pic.twitter.com/VPPk0K4KH2
When the bill was taken up, the assembly session turned tumultuous as opposition parties, including the Congress, voiced support for the bill’s intent while demanding key amendments. Congress MLA Bhaskar Jyoti Baruah from Titabar proposed broadening the definition in Section 2(1)(Q) to include “tea dwellers” alongside Adivasi communities and reducing the land ceiling from 20 bighas to 15 bighas in Sections 6(2) and 6(3). He also raised concerns about imported tea diluting Assam’s market, inadequate infrastructure like drinking water under the Jal Jeevan Mission, and the need for uniform housing modeled on the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
AIUDF also supported the bill but demanded allotting more land to tea tribes, saying the proposed allotment is not enough. AIUDF MLA Dr Rafiqul Islam also demanded the inclusion of the Muslim community residing in labour lines. AIUDF legislators also demanded land rights for residents of char (riverine) areas, largely inhabited by Bengali-speaking Muslims, triggering tensions in the house.
Despite the disruptions, the bill cleared the house without the proposed changes, marking a significant win for the ruling BJP-led coalition.
Replying to the debate, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Bill seeks to correct a historic injustice. “When the British brought tea workers to Assam, they made them work as slaves. Over time, laws gave them humanity but not dignity. Today, that mistake is being rectified,” he said.
“This is just the beginning. We will ensure healthcare, roads, and education reach every tea garden family,” the chief minister stated.
He also dismissed concerns of shortage of labour in tea gardens as a result of the move, saying, “If needed, even the children of tea garden managers will pluck tea leaves.”
