Muzaffarpur: Bihar Govt Orders Action Against Illegal Jamabandi Of Govt Land; 45-Day Deadline Set

The Revenue and Land Reforms Department in Bihar has issued directives for action against illegal jamabandi (land records) of government land. The Additional Collector has been instructed to cancel the illegal jamabandi.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the matter, the illegal land records are to be cancelled within 45 days. In light of this, hopes have been raised for the cancellation of illegal jamabandi for Khas Mahal, the Bihar government, and other government lands in Muzaffarpur. This is because files related to such cases in the district have been suppressed for years. 

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The case concerning the jamabandi of Khas Mahal land has been pending in the Additional Collector's court for seven years. The hearing for 65 jamabandi cases is proceeding simultaneously. Far from the land records being cancelled, the illegal sale, purchase, and mutation of the land have continued. 

Despite repeated complaints of encroachment from the army regarding the jamabandi of Ministry of Defence land, the local administration has so far continued to suppress the matter. The army has even released the names of the encroachers. Additionally, thousands of acres of land belonging to the Bihar Religious Trust Board have been illegally registered through jamabandi and even sold. 

There is the Khas Mahal land worth billions in the Sikandarpur Man area. The then-Divisional Commissioner, Atul Prasad, had initiated action regarding the illegal sale, purchase, and jamabandi of this land. He had called for a ban on the sale and purchase of such land after a comparative study of the Cadastral and Revisional Surveys. 

In addition, a case against 65 jamabandi in this area was sent to the Additional Collector's court. The then-DCLR (Deputy Collector Land Reforms) East and Khas Mahal Officer, Arjun Ravidas, issued notices to all individuals and even cancelled the mutations for several, but the action stalled thereafter. 

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The case for the cancellation of the jamabandi has been ongoing in the Additional Collector's court for seven years. The lack of a decision even after this time is also raising questions. 

“The government is serious about the illegal jamabandi of government land. In this regard, orders will be issued after hearing pending cases in court as well as new cases,” said Kumar Prashant, Additional Collector.