CM Alipurduar land offer

Mamata addresses a meeting at Uttar Parokata on Tuesday. Picture by Anirban Choudhury

Anirban Choudhury, TT, Jan 10, 2018, Alipurduar: Residents of Alipurduar are happy as the state government has finally decided to resolve the land problem they have been facing for several decades.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee said at a function in Uttar Parokata of the district on Tuesday her government would sort out the issue.

In Alipurduar town, over 13,000 families - around 50,000 residents - do not have land rights. They live on leasehold land and most of these do not have and lease deed.

Sources said the entire town was divided into three mouzas (land clusters). These are Damanpur, Paschim Jitpur and Alipurduar.

Residents of the first two mouzas have ownership as their land type is "Jot land". But those in Alipurduar mouza live on leasehold land.

Back in 1932, people of this mouza were provided with the land on lease by the state for a period of 30 years which ended on 1962. After that, the lease agreement was not renewed.

In 2000-2001, people of the town had launched a movement, demanding lease renewal. This made the then Left Front government offer leases to them, with 1970 as the first year of lease, for a period of 99 years.

The " salami" (money needs to be paid to the state government) for the land was fixed on the basis of land rates of 1970. Around 1,850 families responded and obtained their lease deeds.

"My family owns a plot of four decimal in ward 12 of the town. In 2006, based on the land rates of 1970, we had paid Rs 1,800 as 'salami," said a Babupara resident.

This did not end their problem.

"We got our lease deeds registered but the mutation (official change of ownership) was not carried out by the land & land reforms department. As a result, we could not avail bank loan or other benefits till now," added the resident.

Due to this problem, both the land & land reforms department and the civic body also could not collect tax from any of these land owners till date.

Tuesday, Mamata said: "We will solve the land problem faced by Alipurduar residents. The leasehold land will be registered through due process. People living on such land can transfer the ownership and approach banks for loan. We have decided that the 'salami' rate will be 95 per cent of the land rates of 1970 and the lease period will start from 1970 for a period of 99 years."

The district administration will initiate necessary moves soon, she had said.

"Around 48,000 people would be benefitted by the decision. We are thankful to the chief minister. But we want a permanent settlement and not a lease for 99 years against the 'salami.' This is because out of 99 years of proposed lease 47 years have already passed since 1970," said Larry Bose, joint convener of the joint forum, a citizens' body formed for the land issue in the town.