Bihar govt to give more time to land owners, but firm on survey to end disputes

Bihar revenue and land reforms minister Dilip Jaiswal on Friday asserted that the government is determined to go ahead with the ongoing land survey in the state and said more time would be given to landowners for submission of self-declaration regarding ownership of land.

The minister’s statement came amid speculations about a possible move to stretch the survey in view of ground level obstacles. Jaiswal said the land mafia were deliberately trying to spread rumours to create confusion and chaos, but that would not work.

“We have looked into the matter and the deadline would be extended. The official communication will be issued in a few days. We have reviewed the ongoing process, and it has been going well. The objective of the entire exercise is to help the genuine people with digitised land records to end disputes once and for all. They will get time to file self-declaration,” he told media persons.

An attack on Dalit hamlet in Nawada on Wednesday was seen as an attempt by powerful people ahead of the survey to take possession of prime land occupied by Dalits for generations.

Though Nawada district magistrate (DM) said a title suit has been going on over the ownership of the land since 1995 and a court order was also issued in May last year for its inspection, it is not clear who the original owner of the land is. Locals said it was a government land where they had settled and it may have been registered in the name of some in connivance with local officials in the past, about which they have no inkling.

Additional chief secretary (revenue and land reforms department) Dipak Kumar Singh said that he has sought a detailed report regarding the land from the DM. “We have also read about the title suit in newspapers, while some say other things. What the actual position is will be clear only after we receive the report,” he added.

Though this is an isolated incident, it may not be the last one, as encroachment of government as well as private land is said to be rampant across the state and the potential of land survey to expose those in illegal possession may drive the organised land grabbers to desperation. However, there is also problem of land in many families still in the name of grandfathers and great grandfathers, while several generations shifted outside.

The long overdue land survey is aimed at digitising land records across 45,000 villages in the state and the deadline for its completion is July 25, which is just ahead of the scheduled Assembly elections in Bihar. If elections due to any reason take place early, which can only be before monsoon season, the process may remain incomplete.

With Bihar already slipping into the election mood and political parties consistently attacking the government over lack of preparation before undertaking the mammoth exercise of land survey, the challenge is set to only grow in the months to come, as land remains a sensitive issue. The challenge is further accentuated by allegations of corruption at the ground level in getting documents prepared, though the government has been trying to counter it by popularising its efforts to ease the process through media about its digital platform for procuring land-related documents. It is not known as to how many people in rural areas are actually able to make use of the technological intervention.

Land survey has been on the agenda of the Nitish Kumar government for a long time, as land disputes emerged as the biggest law and order challenge in the state and the data of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) also corroborates it. The chief minister has been particular about tackling land disputes effectively and sensitively to improve law and order from the very outset. The latest NCRB data indicated that 60% of murders taking place in the state are related to land disputes.

“Besides, the exercise will also let the government have a clear idea about its own land spread across the state. The government needs land to give it to the landless. The records of the government land are also up to date and land acquisition for major projects becomes a big challenge. Even if land is acquired, giving compensation becomes a challenge due to lack of proper land records and documents,” said an official, who did not want to be quoted.

A senior Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader said that the CM may himself review the progress of land survey in the days to come. “He also must be getting feedback. It was always going to be a challenging exercise, but it is the need of the hour in Bihar. Nitish Kumar is known for tackling challenges. Despite challenges, Bihar has been a dry state since 2016, something nobody dared earlier,” he added.