PATNA: The state government has adopted a novel approach to recover missing land records in order to resolve complex land disputes that have persisted in the state for decades.
Bihar Revenue and Land Reforms Department Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said that the “Bhoo Yoddha” award will be given to those who help the government recover old and lost land documents (khatian, receipts, registry deeds) related to their own or their ancestors’ land.
The government has launched this initiative believing that only original land documents can put an end to disputes, which, according to Bihar Police, account for around 60 percent of murders in the state. The initiative is expected not only to raise public awareness about land rights but also to honor those who help improve land records transparently.
On February 26, the minister informed the Assembly that at least five percent of original crucial documents had been removed from the official records of the Revenue and Land Reforms Department, prompting the authorities to launch an investigation.
Sinha also stated that in certain cases, the names of the original plot owners were “deliberately changed.”
“It is a matter of serious concern. These documents have been removed or stolen from the records with an ulterior motive by individuals with vested interests. Available inputs suggest the involvement of the land mafia and certain officials. At least five percent of crucial documents are missing from the records,” he said.
The department has launched a drive to identify the culprits, including government officials, and strict action will be taken against them, said Sinha, who has been in the news for his tough stance against department officers and land mafias.
The Deputy Chief Minister also announced in the Assembly that the government would reward people who help recover original land records missing from government offices. Sinha added that a high-level investigation would be conducted into the alleged illegal occupation of land under the Dighalbank block in Kishanganj district.
Thakurganj MLA Gopal Kumar Agarwal alleged that nearly 90 percent of land given to local Dalit, Adivasi, and poor Surajpuri Muslim families under the Bhoodan and Red Card schemes over the past 40 years had been encroached upon by outsiders from Malda and Murshidabad districts in West Bengal in the past 10 years. He demanded that these lands be physically verified and freed from illegal occupants.
However, Sinha clarified that the report received from the Kishanganj collector revealed no cases of encroachment by outsiders from Malda and Murshidabad.
He further stated that if cases of illegal transfer, purchase, or sale of settlement land are discovered, the settlement land registered in the name of the respective buyer will be canceled, and the land will revert to the government. Individuals helping in this process will be rewarded as “Bhoo Yoddhas” (land warriors).