Anit Thapa gives a call to halt ‘Patta conflicts’

Amitava Banerjee | MP | 4 Sept 2023 | Darjeeling: Anit Thapa, Chief Executive, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has urged the Land and Land Reforms (L&LR) Department to stop door-to-door distribution of Patta (land document) application forms and instead make the forms available at the L&LR department offices from where interested persons can apply. He further urged the L&LR personnel to halt the survey work in any tea garden where they face resistance from workers. 

The statements come on the heels of many alleging that the state government is trying to label the residents of tea gardens as refugees by handing over Pattas for 5 decimals to landless workers of tea gardens. 

The department of Land and Land Reforms, Government of West Bengal in an order (Memo Number- 3078- LP/IA-03/17 dated 01-08-2023) to the district magistrates of six districts of North Bengal sent a proposal for granting homestead patta (land right document) on surplus/ unutilised resumed land of tea garden to the eligibility beneficiaries through a scheme. 

Homestead pattas will be granted to the eligible families upto the extent of 5 decimals of land. For the selection of beneficiaries, priority will be given to families headed by female members. With this notification, the Hill Opposition parties have been crying foul. 

On numerous occasions, L&LR personnel trying to conduct surveys in tea gardens have met with stiff resistance. Raju Bista Member of Parliament, Darjeeling owing allegiance to the BJP has dubbed it as a ploy by the state government to label the persons receiving Pattas as refugees. 

The Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) has been alleging that the Opposition parties have been working on the behest of the management and have been misinforming the workers into not accepting Pattas. 

Many tea garden workers are reluctant to accept Pattas, expressing fear of the unknown, the latest being workers of Moonda Kotee tea garden. While workers of others are also accepting. Tea garden workers are a divided house over this issue. 

On Monday, on the occasion of a foundation stone laying programme for a road, Anit Thapa, addressing the gathering stated: “The programme of going door-to-door explaining about Patta has been halted from Monday. When going door-to-door, they have been expressing anger. People are educated so there is no point in explaining things. 

Such is the situation that there is a possibility of confrontation between workers who are speaking for Pattas and others who are opposing it. 

Henceforth anyone who wishes to receive Patta will have to go to L&LR office and apply for the same.” He stated that the workers have all the time to decide. 

“I appeal to the L&LR department to halt survey work in gardens where people are opposing.

I want all to get land right documents for the land that is under their possession and I have appealed to the state government for agricultural Patta also. Let us halt this matter that is leading to confrontation,” stated Thapa. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/anit-thapa-gives-a-call-to-halt-patta-conflicts-531671