BJP hints at land acquisition scam in Bihar

Patna, Mar 17: The BJP on Tuesday alleged in the Bihar Legislative Council that land mafia operating in Bihar was showing government land as their own and getting compensation for it during its acquisition for development purposes.

The saffron party also demanded that the government should recover such compensation money, which has been paid to unscrupulous elements, and make it mandatory to attach photocopies of land details as shown in cadastral survey.

Calling attention towards the issue, BJP MLC Satyendra Narayan Singh said, "Land mafia show 'gair majarua aam' category of government land declared in survey as their own by manipulating municipality records.

They then illegally get it registered in their own name, take monetary compensation when the state government starts acquiring it.

In Reply, the government assured the Legislative Council that the state government is paying attention to the issue and many public servants including Circle Officers have been suspended.

The BJP MLC further added that once registered, it becomes a headache for the government and suggested that reference to land details shown in cadastral survey (a comprehensive register of the real estate) should be made mandatory at land registration offices across the state to check the mafia.

Replying to the issue raised by the legislator, state Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Narendra Narayan Yadav said, "We have directed all district collectors through departmental letter 282 sent on March 16, 2015, to prepare a list of 'gair majarua aam', gair majarua malik and all other types of government land and provide it to registration offices."

"The sub-registrars and other officials will order registration of any land only after matching it with the list and ascertaining that it is not government land. We have also directed the officials to investigate whether compensation has been paid to any individual for government land. Such wrongly paid compensation will be recovered," Yadav added.

He also requested that any information about compensation payment for government land should be brought to his notice.

PTI