Nazul Property Invoice: How an ‘anti-land mafia’ invoice become a scorching potato | Lucknow Information

After widespread legislative protests, the state authorities managed to push the Nazul Property Invoice 2024 to a choose committee

After protests by legislators from all events, the state govt on Thursday managed to get the Nazul Property (Administration and Use for Public Goal) Invoice 2024 despatched to the choose committee by way of the Vidhan Parishad. What turned this invoice, which geared toward getting nazul land free of encroachment, right into a scorching potato? An explainer by Shalabh…
THE ISSUE
The transfer of the Yogi Adityanath govt to go a invoice within the meeting associated to the administration and utilisation of nazul land was resisted by a bit of legislators.The invoice envisaged vesting all nazul properties, given on lease to people or organisations, again with the government, albeit with sure riders. The invoice, tabled within the meeting by parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna on behalf of CM Yogi Adityanath, changed the ordinance which was promulgated in March earlier this yr with the identical goal. One of many major motives of the invoice was to get nazul land free of the clutches of land mafia and musclemen politicians.
WHAT’S NAZUL
Based on the invoice, nazul is a property maintained and vested with the state govt as per Article 296 of the Structure. The properties included these taken over by the erstwhile British govt from the liberty fighters additionally. It doesn’t embody the state property underneath the management of the board of income or the forest or irrigation departments or these falling within the ambit of the division of defence, postal, railways or another central govt division. It’s estimated that 10,000 hectares to fifteen,000 hectares of nazul land could be impacted by way of the promulgation of the proposed invoice. In simply Prayagraj, 1,200 hectares of land are labeled as nazul. Equally, in Lucknow throughout a survey which came about in 2019-20, simply in Aishbagh locality, the presence of fifty hectares of nazul land was established. Golaganj, Ganeshganj, Charbagh, Khandari Bazar, Amaniganj, China Gate, Wazirganj, Hazratganj, Hussainganj, Mashakganj and elements of Aliganj and Mahanagar apart from different localities have massive chunks of nazul land. In Prayagraj, Ashok Nagar, Lukarganj, Georgetown, Rajapur, Shivkuti are some localities which have come up on nazul land. The truth is, until the late Nineteen Eighties in Sangam metropolis, 662 acres space in Civil Strains was labeled as nazul land. The scenario is not any totally different in different key cities of UP. The introduction of a brand new invoice is inflicting apprehensions and anxiousness among the many occupants who’ve settled over nazul land regardless that the government has clarified that land occupied by a lot of folks wouldn’t be taken over.
THE APPREHENSIONS
The choice to transform the nazul land title right into a free-hold property was supplied by the state govt for the primary time on Might 23, 1992. The truth is, 10 years afterward Might 29, 2002, reiterating the previous order, the housing division had set a goal for district collectors to supply elevated income to the state coffers by way of the fees stipulated for titleship conversion. The goal for Prayagraj district administration for 2003-04 was Rs 274 crore whereas for Lucknow it was mounted at Rs 129 crore. Conversion costs have been determined as per the prevailing circle charges. From Might 1992 until 2019, the housing division of UP has issued 71 totally different orders associated to the administration of nazul land. The truth is, until the 2018-19 monetary yr, the government stored fixing annual targets for district administration to generate income by way of the conversion of nazul land right into a free-hold property. After that, the method of turning nazul land into free-hold was withheld by the income officers. In Lucknow, the administration of nazul land is being accomplished by the native improvement authority whereas in different cities the district administration offers with the matter. The MLAs who opposed the invoice stated that the variety of nazul land house owners is in lakhs. Numerous them are getting their lease renewed as per the prevailing insurance policies. “Even when the invoice has measures to care for their curiosity, there was a common apprehension about it among the many folks residing on the nazul land for generations,” they are saying.
THE NAZUL NUMBERS
As per the income division of the state govt, over the previous 4 years, the land equal to the scale of Lucknow metropolis (624 sq km or 1.54 lakh acres) has been reclaimed within the state over the previous 4 years from the time free-hold conversion of nazul land title was discontinued.
QUANTUM OF DISPUTES
At present, 312 courtroom circumstances associated to the possession of the nazul land are being heard and are pending for disposal earlier than the excessive courtroom and the Supreme Court docket. About 2,500 extra circumstances have been filed associated to the free-hold conversion of the property. Furthermore, since Yogi Adityanath grew to become the chief minister in 2017, a four-level anti-land mafia activity power has been established within the state to fight land mafia actions. Income and police departments have undertaken important actions towards the land mafia. Based on information being maintained by the income division, about 62,424 hectares (154,249 acres) of land have been reclaimed. Moreover, the income division recognized 2,464 unlawful occupants, arrested 187 land mafia members, and despatched them to jail. Moreover, 22,992 income circumstances, 857 civil circumstances, and 4,407 FIRs have been filed throughout varied police stations associated to those points.
AN EXPERT’S VIEW
Anil Kumar Gupta, the previous IAS officer who served as vice-chairman of LDA and headed administrative issues as DMs of a number of districts, stated {that a} part of persons are studying an excessive amount of between the strains. “The intent of the government is evident if one goes by way of the ordinance. The land taken over could be used for public functions and within the bigger public curiosity. Creating infrastructure and facilities for the residents is necessary. Nazul land is located inside the prime areas of a metropolis and is getting wasted. It might be used to develop public infrastructure and different functions. On the identical time, the government wants to supply an choice to rehabilitate and resettle the affected inhabitants,” stated Gupta who held the place of the chairman of UP’s income board on the time of his retirement.