Agartala, Jan 20 (IANS): The Tripura government will take action against the hundreds of rubber growers who illegally cultivated natural rubber on more than 21,019 acres of government land, a minister announced in the state assembly on Monday.

Replying to a question, Tripura Revenue Minister Narendra Chandra Debbarma said that the government has asked the District Magistrates and Sub-Divisional Magistrates to get the government lands vacated.

The Minister said that during the previous Left Front government 21,019 acres (or 8506 hectares) of government land across Tripura had been illegally allowed to cultivate natural rubber.

He said that the BJP-led government has taken initiative to amend the Tripura Land Records and Land Reforms Act, 1960, to prevent the misuse of government lands violating the law.

Debbarma also said that around 51,635 families had been residing in government lands in Tripura for the past many years.

The issue saw heated debate in the state assembly on Monday.

Tripura is the second largest rubber producer in India after Kerala with 85,000 hectares of land under plantation, producing 68,000 tonnes of rubber annually.

Tripura's annual turnover from rubber cultivation is about Rs 700 crore.