Distribution of khas lands
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
MEDIA reports sometime ago highlighted that in the Sylhet district about 53 per cent of the distribution of khas lands remained pending while the 47 per cent of those who received khas lands against their names were undeserving persons. Locally influential groups could get their chosen persons to become beneficiaries in the settlement of khas lands to the exclusion of those who should have got ownership rights over these lands in view of their landless state and acute poverty.
The same situation, more or less, prevails in most parts of country. The vested interests continue to reap the dividends of most public welfare-oriented programmes, depriving the under-privileged and the disadvantaged of their due rights for which such programmes are otherwise intended.
In respect of both undistributed and distributed khas lands, unlawful squatters in many cases are, thus, seen to be in possession of such lands by exercising their links to locally powerful vested interest groups.
As the situation in Sylhet is symbolic of khas lands distribution in other areas of the country, it is imperative to revamp the operational aspects of all public intervention programme that are intended for people's well-purpose. Otherwise, the very purpose of such intervention will be frustrated. For this, deep-seated institutional reforms of the government machinery are needed. It is really unfortunate that this caretaker government has not been able to do the needful during its otherwise extended period of rule, though it had promised hard actions for improving governance, while assuming office. It has been chasing some individuals on grounds of corruption on a choose-and-pick method and that too not quite successfully. It did hardly anything of substance to help overcome systemic problems in governance which have fostered the culture of graft, corruption and irregularities in the country.
All concerned would certainly appreciate the need for taking actions on two fronts as far as distribution of khas lands is concerned: to ensure that truly landless and very poor persons get entitlement as well as effective possession of khas lands and the eviction of undeserving people from their current occupation of these lands.
Hemayetuddin Ahmed
Azimpur, Dhaka
The same situation, more or less, prevails in most parts of country. The vested interests continue to reap the dividends of most public welfare-oriented programmes, depriving the under-privileged and the disadvantaged of their due rights for which such programmes are otherwise intended.
In respect of both undistributed and distributed khas lands, unlawful squatters in many cases are, thus, seen to be in possession of such lands by exercising their links to locally powerful vested interest groups.
As the situation in Sylhet is symbolic of khas lands distribution in other areas of the country, it is imperative to revamp the operational aspects of all public intervention programme that are intended for people's well-purpose. Otherwise, the very purpose of such intervention will be frustrated. For this, deep-seated institutional reforms of the government machinery are needed. It is really unfortunate that this caretaker government has not been able to do the needful during its otherwise extended period of rule, though it had promised hard actions for improving governance, while assuming office. It has been chasing some individuals on grounds of corruption on a choose-and-pick method and that too not quite successfully. It did hardly anything of substance to help overcome systemic problems in governance which have fostered the culture of graft, corruption and irregularities in the country.
All concerned would certainly appreciate the need for taking actions on two fronts as far as distribution of khas lands is concerned: to ensure that truly landless and very poor persons get entitlement as well as effective possession of khas lands and the eviction of undeserving people from their current occupation of these lands.
Hemayetuddin Ahmed
Azimpur, Dhaka