Assam Government Initiates Revenue Circle Realignment for Assembly Constituencies
Statewide Revenue Circle Realignment Announced
File image of Himanta Biswa Sarma (Photo - @CMOfficeAssam / X)
Guwahati, July 14: The Assam government has embarked on a comprehensive initiative to align revenue circle boundaries with Assembly constituencies following the recent delimitation process. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced this development on Tuesday, stating that new revenue circles will be established in 13 Assembly constituencies that currently lack them.
During his address to the Assembly on the seventh day of the ongoing Budget Session, Sarma highlighted the existing administrative discrepancies, noting that villages belonging to one Assembly constituency often fall under revenue circles of another constituency or even a different district.
The objective of this exercise is to ensure that revenue circles and Legislative Assembly Constituencies (LACs) are aligned, thereby enhancing administrative efficiency and minimizing inconvenience for both elected officials and residents.
“After the delimitation of Assembly constituencies, panchayat boundaries were reorganized. However, in many instances, revenue circles were not adjusted accordingly. Consequently, villages from one constituency still fall under revenue circles of another, and in some cases, even another district,” the Chief Minister explained.
Sarma has instructed District Commissioners (DCs) statewide to submit proposals within two days to guarantee that every village is included within the revenue circle that corresponds to its Assembly constituency.
“Our immediate goal is to ensure that no MLA needs to travel outside their constituency to access a revenue circle. We are not eliminating any existing revenue circles at this time; we will only reassign villages to ensure that revenue circles and Assembly constituencies are aligned,” Sarma stated.
To illustrate the existing issues, Sarma pointed out that villages in the Balijana Revenue Circle in Dudhnoi are associated with the Goalpara East Assembly constituency, while a panchayat in Barkhetri remains linked to Sarthebari in Barpeta district. Additionally, villages in Tinkhong are still connected to Naharkatia despite the delimitation.
In Golaghat district, he noted that many villages under the Golaghat Assembly constituency now fall within Dergaon after delimitation but still remain under the Golaghat Revenue Circle.
Similarly, around ten villages from the Titabor constituency are now part of the Golaghat Assembly constituency but continue to be governed under the previous revenue structure.
Sarma encouraged MLAs to collaborate with their respective Deputy Commissioners during this process and to provide feedback regarding the proposed realignment.
“If legislators have any suggestions about the realignment, they are encouraged to submit them to their respective Deputy Commissioners,” he added.
The Chief Minister also revealed that the government would promptly initiate the creation of revenue circles in 13 Assembly constituencies that currently do not have them.
The identified constituencies include Paka Betbari and Senga in Barpeta district; Srijangram in Bongaigaon; Borkhola and Dholai in Cachar; Birsing Jarua in Dhubri; Khowang in Dibrugarh; Jaleswar in Goalpara; Central Guwahati in Kamrup (Metro); Nowboicha in Lakhimpur; Makum and Digboi in Tinsukia; and Rangapara and Behali in Sonitpur and Biswanath districts, respectively.
Following the initial phase of village realignment, a second phase will be conducted to adjust the sizes of revenue circles.
“After this exercise, some revenue circles will be significantly larger than others. In the next phase, we will redistribute villages to balance the workload. We will not eliminate any revenue circles; instead, we will create new ones as needed. For instance, all villages of Samaria currently fall under the Goroimari Revenue Circle, but a separate revenue circle will be established there in the future,” Sarma explained.
He added that this initiative would eventually extend to the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) area.
Describing this initiative as a significant administrative reform, the Chief Minister emphasized that it would enhance governance and improve the planning and execution of flood management strategies.
“This is a vital exercise, especially concerning flood management and administrative efficiency. No MLA requested this reform. Some may later take credit for it, but the government initiated this exercise independently after recognizing the administrative challenges,” he concluded.