Assam govt to create Satra Commission to conserve Vaishnavite centres

Guwahati, Nov 25 (PTI) The Assam government on Tuesday proposed setting up a quasi-judicial body — Satra Preservation and Development Commission — to protect, maintain and regulate the socio-cultural organisations.

Tabling ‘The Assam Satra Preservation and Development Commission Bill, 2025’ in the assembly, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta said ‘satras’ or Vaishnavite monasteries face encroachment, fragmented records and weak institutional coordination, impeding lawful protection, conservation and sustainable management of the centres.

The Bill will establish the Assam Satra Preservation and Development Commission as a specialised, quasi-judicial body to protect, preserve, manage, maintain and regulate ‘satras’ and their lands, he added.

The commission will also entertain appeals against orders of district commissioners, undertake surveys and suo motu enquiries on encroachment, and recommend conservation measures for heritage structures and artefacts.

For effective adjudication and enforcement, the commission is vested with powers of a civil court and exercises jurisdiction to the exclusion of civil courts on matters it is empowered to determine.

The officials in the commission will be deployed on deputation to ensure functionality without creating a permanent establishment burden, Mahanta said in the Statement of Objects and Reasons.

“The state government may issue policy directions and assign additional duties, actions done in good faith are protected, and a limited power to remove difficulties is provided, consistent with the Act,” he added.

The Bill, therefore, creates a coherent, accountable and legally robust framework to preserve Assam’s Vaishnavite heritage, protect ‘satra’ lands from encroachment and misuse, and enable planned, culturally sensitive development in the public interest, Mahanta added. PTI TR TR ACD