Assam govt to scrutinise applications for land transfer between persons of different faiths: Himanta

Himanta Biswa Sarma

The Assam Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Special Operating Procedure (SOP) to scrutinise applications for land transfer between persons of different religions for examining several angles, including national security, before final permission is granted, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here.

According to the SOP, the Special Branch of the Assam Police will examine whether the transfer of land involves any fraudulent or illegal act, the source of funding of the buyers, impact on the social fabric of the locality where the land exists, and also the issue of national security, the CM said at a media briefing after the Cabinet meeting.

''If the proposal is received from buyers and sellers of the same religion, the SOP will not be applicable to them. But in the case of those from different religions, all these factors will be strictly examined,'' Sarma said.

The same SOP will also be applicable to NGOs from outside planning to buy land in the state for setting up educational and healthcare institutions, he said.

''In a sensitive state like Assam, the issue of land transfer needs to be handled very carefully,'' he said.