Patna, Feb 26 (PTI) Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Thursday informed the assembly that at least five per cent of original crucial documents were removed from the official records of the revenue and land reforms department, prompting the authorities to launch an investigation.
Sinha also said that the names of the original owners of plots were “deliberately changed” in certain cases.
“It’s a matter of serious concern. These documents have been removed or stolen from the records with an ulterior motive by individuals with vested interests. Available inputs suggest the involvement of the land mafia and officials. At least five per cent of crucial documents are missing from the records,” he said.
The department has launched a drive to identify the culprits, including government officials, and strict action will be taken against them, said Sinha who also holds the revenue and land reforms portfolio.
“Even in certain cases, names of the original owners of the land were deliberately changed in some areas by people with vested interests. The state government will certainly recover missing documents, and those responsible for it will be published,” he said.
Raising the issue during question hour, JD(U) MLA Rahul Kumar Singh alleged that at least 60 per cent of names of the original land owners in his Dumraon constituency were deliberately changed in 1989 by the department officials.
“The original owners of such land are facing difficulties in getting it corrected. How did it happen? The matter must be looked into, and action should be taken against those responsible for it,” Singh said.
Several MLAs of the ruling as well as the opposition parties also supported Singh’s statement and said that people of their constituencies too have been facing the same situation.
Responding to this, the deputy CM said, “Officers have already been instructed to ensure that any land, including those belonging to the government, should not be encroached by mafia or people based on forged documents.” The department will identify officials of the revenue and land reforms department who are in collusion with the land mafia, Sinha said. PTI PKD NN
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