Bihar govt to take over 15K acres of Bettiah Raj land
Bihar government passes a bill to take over 15,215 acres of Bettiah Raj property for public welfare amid concerns over land encroachment.
Amid the ongoing land survey, the Bihar government has moved to take over huge landed property of the erstwhile Bettiah Raj, one of the largest estates of the state. A bill to this effect was passed by voice vote in the Bihar Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
Moving the Takeover of Bettiah Raj Property Bill, 2024, revenue and land reforms minister Dilip Jaiswal said that it was under the consideration of the Bihar government for several years to ensure proper upkeep and management of over 15,000 acres of land spread across several districts.
“The total land of Bettiah Raj comes to around 15,215 acres, of which 143 acres fall in Uttar Pradesh. In Bihar, it is spread across East Champaran, West Champaran, Siwan, Saran, Gopalganj and Patna. There have been large scale encroachment of land and there is no management. The government has decided to make the best use of land for public welfare by setting up universities, schools, colleges and hospitals,” the minister said.
The valuation of the land of Bettiah Raj could go past ₹8,000 crore. The minister said that after the Bill is passed and notified, the government would list all the property of Bettiah Raj, with details of land records under the government. “The government will also seek objection from the affected people for resolution. The government will also coordinate with the UP government for management of Bettiah Raj land spread in Allahabad, Varanasi, Kushinagar, Basti and other parts,” he added.
The minister’s assurance came after CPI-ML Birendra Prasad Gupta from Sikta described the Bill as “black bill”, as it could displace thousands of people. “Before 1885, there were land records and after that people who settled there were considered the rightful owners. They don’t have documents as valid registry is not done there. Those who are settled should be given the rightful for years ownership,” he added.
He was the lone member in the Opposition benches, as the rest walked out demanding restoration of 65% quota, which was quashed by the Patna High Court earlier this year, and the inclusion of the law under Ninth Schedule. Despite Speaker’s repeated requests, the opposition MLAs trooped into the well with posters.
The minister later clarified that the objective of the Bill was to deal with rampant encroachment, which may have devoured large tracts, and use it for community welfare. The estate was earlier managed by the Court of Wards and later by the Board of Revenue. The statistics of the Board of Revenue also point to large-scale encroachment of the estate land in both West and East Champaran as well as elsewhere. A senior official said that the encroachment could run into thousands of acres.
Harendra Kishor Singh was the last zamindar of Bettiah Raj who died in March 1893 leaving behind two widows - Maharani Sheo Ratna Kunwar and Maharani Janki Kunwar. He died heirless. While Sheo Ratna Kunwar died in 1896, Janki Kunwar passed away in 1954.
“The British had declared Janki Kunwar incompetent on April 1, 1897 and put the Bettiah estate under the Court of Wards Act, 1879. As the Court of Wards was not able to manage thr land properly and large scale encroachment was reported, the government had been considering taki by over the property for several years so that the property could be managed like other government land,” said the minister.
Additional chief secretary Dipak Kumar Singh siad that the land was earlier also under the board of revenue through the Court of Wards, but now it would be directly under the government for use in community welfare schemes. “The Bill empowers the Bihar government to make the best use of the land of Bettiah Raj,” he added.
The Vidhan Sabha also passed the Goods and Service Tax (2nd amendment) Bill, 2024 by voice vote. Moving the Bill, Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, who holds the finance portfolio, said the bill was the need of the hour, as an ordinance was already in place amending the 2017 Act.