Kamatapur Autonomous Council

Legal Basis

• Constituted under the Kamatapur Autonomous Council Act, 2020 — Assam Act No. XXV of 2020, published in the Assam Gazette Extraordinary No. 444, Dispur, 19 October 2020 (Notification No. LGL.57/2020/7).
• Assent of the Governor of Assam received on 12 October 2020.
• Amended by the Kamatapur Autonomous Council (Amendment) Act, 2020 — Assam Act No. VI of 2021, assent received on 27 January 2021, which inserted section 59 enabling the constitution of an Interim General Council and Executive Council by nomination.
• The Council is a statutory autonomous council under a State law. It is not a council constituted under the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India.

Purpose and Mandate

The Act provides for the establishment of a council “comprising of Koch Rajbongshi Community dominated villages of Goalpara, Dhubri, Bongaigaon and South Salmara District excluding the Bodoland Territorial Council and Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council areas for social, economic, educational, ethnic and cultural advancement of the Koch Rajbongshi Community residing therein” (preamble and section 3).

Subject to Central and State law, the Council exercises executive powers within the Council area over the subjects listed in section 17 of the Act (see the Departments & Functions page).

Area of Operation

• Districts referred to in the Act: Goalpara, Dhubri, Bongaigaon and South Salmara, excluding Bodoland Territorial Council and Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council areas (s.1(2), s.3).
• “Council area” means the area or areas consisting of villages with 50% or more population belonging to the Koch Rajbongshi community notified by the State Government as Council area under the Act (s.2(o)).
• The Act states that the Council comprises such areas “as may be notified by the Government in the Official Gazette”.

The definitive list of notified villages must be taken from the Government notifications in the Assam Gazette, not from this website.

Governance Framework

• The Council has a General Council and an Executive Council (s.3(2)).
• The General Council is a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal (s.4).
• Office bearers of the General Council: Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Chief Executive Councillor and Executive Councillors (s.5(3)).
• There is a Secretariat at the headquarters, headed by a Principal Secretary appointed by the Government in consultation with the Chief Executive Councillor (s.16).
• The Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare any place within the Council area as the headquarters of the General Council (s.15).