Guwahati: Itanagar Capital Region Deputy Commissioner (DC) Talo Potom has formally written to the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) to notify that all land possession certificates (LPCs) issued for plots falling within the Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary and Durpong Reserve Forest stand cancelled.
Referring to an order issued on 27 February 2022 (Order No. DC/M/LPC-207/15), the DC confirmed that all LPCs and land allotments issued since the inception of the office in these protected zones are null and void.
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In his letter dated 5 May 2025, Potom requested the PCCF to treat all such land documents whether issued knowingly or unknowingly as invalid and to take legal action in accordance with forest and environmental laws.
Potom told this publication that the decision was made based on the original land notifications issued during the establishment of Itanagar as the state capital in 1978. He revealed that thousands of LPCs and land allotments have been revoked, and that the relevant records have been forwarded to the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which serves as the custodian of the protected areas.
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However, the mass cancellation has sparked widespread resentment among local residents. On Thursday, members of the Aboriginal Tribal Inhabitant Villagers of the Itanagar Capital Region (ATIVICR) submitted a memorandum to the chief minister, urging the government to reverse the decision immediately.
Speaking to reporters, ATIVICR member and Ganga village resident Techi Nera criticized the move, calling it arbitrary and unjust. “This order must be scrapped. If the government fails to act, we will launch a democratic movement,” he stated. Nera also warned that the order would significantly devalue land in the region, hinder development, and affect the ability of landholders to secure loans using their property as collateral.
He further questioned why successive governments had failed to resolve the land regularisation issue, despite Itanagar being declared the capital 52 years ago. “We’ve attended several meetings over the years, but no lasting solution has been reached,” Nera said.
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Tadar Babin, a businessman from Naharlagun, echoed similar concerns. He said many landholders have possessed and developed their properties for decades, often paying land revenue regularly under officially sanctioned challans. “Now we are being told we’re no longer legal landholders. It’s a sudden and baffling move,” Babin said.
He also pointed out what he perceived as selective enforcement, noting that the order does not account for government buildings within the same zones. “Why are some LPCs cancelled and others left untouched, even in the same area?” he asked.
The unfolding situation has ignited calls for immediate government intervention to ensure justice for long-time landholders and clarity on land rights in the capital region.