Revenue department not working properly: Choubey

Raipur, March 24, 2012

Leader of opposition Ravindra Choubey on Saturday said that Revenue department was not working properly and consequently majority of the cases pertaining to it were not being redressed timely. Choubey was speaking in state Assembly against the budgetary demands for Revenue department, Land Revenue and District Administration, Rehabilitation and relief works in areas affected by natural calamities and drought on Friday.

He said the public redressal camps being organised by the Revenue department was of no use as farmers could not even get their loan books free. “The Revenue department is for public and if it is unable to redress the problems of the common people then there is no need to organise redressal camps,” he added.

“The government is rapidly allocating mines and lands to capitalists. About 2.5 lakh hectare land has been allocated to the capitalists by far during BJP regime. This is happening due to nexus between department’s officials and land mafias,” he alleged.

He sought answer from the government on no action on Videocon despite large tracts of land being taken by the company on the name of labourers. “How can a poor labourer working in MNREGA buy a land worth Rs five crore? The trend is prevalent in the entire state as the game of tribal land deals is being done in this fashion,” he said.

He alleged that the entire government machinery – from patwari to Collector to officials in Secretariat were involved in major land deals of tribals and farmers.

He expressed his concern over encroachments of government lands in rural pockets and suggested that campaigns should be launched to rid such lands and check such trends in future.

He sought increment in salaries of kotwars terming them key part of the department.

He sniffed major land scam in Durg district by one JK Laxmi plant and urged the Revenue Minister to register FIR against guilty officials involved in acquisition of lands. “The district administration has written a letter to the Secretariat and the Collector has categorically recommended for suspension of the guilty officials,” he said.

Congress MLA Dharmjeet Singh demanded for renewal of licences of those who had been allocated stone and murum mines. “These mines have been allocated to the financially weaker people but the department has not yet renewed their annual licence,” he said.

He pointed that several posts of patwaris were vacant and consequently the farmers face problem pertaining land-related works through the department.

 He urged the minister to revoke the 22-point rule being adopted in Bilaspur regarding land dealings. “This rule has become major tool for the land mafias. Te land ruled should be uniform in the state,” he said. BJP MLA Badridhar Diwan supported him and informed the House that large tracts of government lands had been sold by misusing the 22-point rule. “The names of many officials have surfaced in such land deals but the department has not taken any action by far,” he said asking the minister to cancel the rule immediately.

Dharmjeet Singh demanded from the minister to make law which could prevent outsiders to buy state lands. “The outsiders, especially industrialists are purchasing state lands at fast rate. Bemetara has become small Haryana. The minister should make law like Himachal Pradesh or other states where lands cannot be purchased by the outsiders,” he said.

He indicated that the flood victims of Raigarh had not received compensation by far.

The opposition member Dr Premsai Singh Tekam said the government constituted nine new districts in haste. 

“Many people are protesting the government decision. No suggestion was invited from political parties and public before formation of nine districts. In some districts, there is dispute over district headquarters. The government should have taken public inputs as to which district they want their region to be included in. At least, the government should have formed District Constitution Committee which could have considered all the aspects before finalising names and areas of the new districts,” he said.

He demanded from the minister to increase posts of tehsildars and SDMs for quick redressal of revenue cases. He further demanded for ban on purchase of benami tribal lands. He said Surajpur and Balrampur districts had become fake land patta hub and majority of such pattas had been obtained by big companies. He sniffed large racket behind this cult.

He alleged that the public hearing organised by government was done on gunpoint and cited examples of Raigarh, Korba and Janjgir-Champa pointed that voices of the farmers had been suppressed through under similar circumstances.

Congress MLA Agni Chandrakar felt that the less compensation was being provided to the farmers against damage of their crops due to floods or other natural calamities. “For this, the government should talk to Centre and take decision in favour of the farmers,” he said.