Aizawl, February 19 The Mizoram assembly on Thursday passed a bill aimed at strengthening the legal framework to curb unauthorized occupation of government and community land.
The Mizoram (Prevention of Public Land Encroachment) Bill, 2026, introduced by Land Revenue and Settlement Minister B Lalchhanzova, aims to replace the existing Mizoram Prevention of Government Land Encroachment Act, 2001, which the government said had limitations in scope and enforcement.
Lalchhanzova told the House that the 2001 Act had a narrow definition of “government land,” leaving village council lands, community playgrounds, and grazing areas vulnerable to encroachment without clear statutory protection.
“The encroachment of such land not only results in a loss of assets but also sows seeds of conflict and disrupts planned development,” he said.
The minister said the earlier law lacked procedural safeguards such as timelines for eviction, structured inquiry processes, and provisions for appeal.
Penalties were not graded in proportion to the scale of encroachment, and there was no mechanism to address repeat offences or abetment, he said.
The new Bill provides comprehensive definitions of public land, procedural clarity, graded penalties, and a structured adjudicatory mechanism, he added.
Once enacted, the law will prohibit unauthorized occupation, possession, construction, or use of public land for private gains, Lalchhanzova said.