Soon, committee to look into khas mahal land issue

Daltonganj: The state government is inclined to set up a committee, which will headed by chief secretary Rajbala Verma, to review the khas mahal land lease policy in Palamu.
The committee will be set up following an assurance by chief minister Raghubar Das after meeting with a delegation comprising MPs, MLAs and functionaries of the Palamu chamber of commerce on Sunday evening in Ranchi.The delegration apprised the CM of the situation and the plight of khas mahal land owners in the district.
Palamu MP V D Ram led the delegation along with MLAs Radha Krishna Kishore and Aloke Chourasia and district chamber of commerce president Anand Shankar. Landowners of khas mahal plots in Daltonganj are walking a tightrope.
Though they wanted to renew their khas mahal lease, the cost of salami (deposit) and lagan (tax) presented to them by authorities has deterred them from doing so.
"We urged the CM to direct the Palamu administration to put on hold the serving of notices to khas mahal land users to pay salaami and lagan," said Kishore.
Kishore said the CM decided to set up a committee headed by the chief secretary to look into the khas mahal land lease renewal issue.
"We prevailed on the chief minister to invite khas mahal land users, including those who are campaigning for the abolition of the harsh practice of charging salaami and lagan from khas mahal landowners," he added.
Kishore said the CM was apprised of the Property Act of 1882 which states that a lease holder of khas mahal land is a perpetual holder (of the land) on the condition that the lease is renewed every thirty years by the administration, for which notice in time for renewal petition is to be given by the administration which is wanting in this case. "No prior notice was issued by the administration," said Kishore.