Chakbandi law in cold storage, as govt drags its feet
Agriculture has been the mainstay of the rural economy in the hilly region of Uttarakhand. Shortage of cultivable land, which is fragmented, has made agriculture in hilly districts unremunerative and unviable. This has led to intra-state migration from hilly areas to foothills such as Kotdwar and Rishikesh and the Terai region (Kashipur). Migration of youths from hill villages, who could otherwise engage in agriculture and allied activities, can be tackled with land consolidation.
Bill passed unanimously
The Congress and the BJP that have ruled the state in the last 16 years have never effectively raised the issue of land consolidation during elections. The Harish Rawat government formed a Mountain Land Consolidation Advisory Committee in January 2015 to find ways to introduce land consolidation in nine hill districts. The committee headed by former MLA Kedar Singh Rawat included Ganesh Singh ‘Garib’, a noted ‘Chakbandi’ activist. I was its member secretary. The committee compiled its recommendations in January 2016 and submitted the report to Chief Minister Harish Rawat and the then Agriculture Minister Harak Singh Rawat. In June, the government introduced the Land Consolidation Bill in the Assembly and it was passed unanimously. The committee recommended that every landowner could have three plots—completely irrigated, semi-irrigated and fallow. The formula could help in checking disputes and controversies during partition of land during consolidation. It could also reduce the chances of discrimination during land partition that ensures use of all types of land (fertile, fallow and semi-irrigated). Government land (Kesar Hind) under land consolidation would go to the person having land adjacent to it.
Priority in land partition
The committee also recommended that during land partition, farmers, who are still cultivating their fields, would be given priority during consolidation and non-resident landowners would have the second right. It suggested to the government to help farmers in building fencing around the consolidated plot to check foray of wild animals. During land partition revenue officials should complete formalities of mutation on the spot. The state government has agreed to release a budget of Rs 1 crore to every village where landowners will implement land consolidation voluntarily.
Two ministers opposing consolidation
Six months hence after the Assembly passed the Land Consolidation Bill the government is yet to act on it. The committee was formed to ascertain the possibility of land consolidation in nine hill districts only. The other four districts of Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar are political power centres and dominate state politics. Two or three ministers in the Harish Rawat government, who are from the plains, are opposing land consolidation. Their main objection is that there can’t be two land laws in the state i.e, one for the plains and the other for the hill districts. Lack of political willpower is obstructing the implementation of the scheme. The government does not want to annoy these leaders. Chief Minister Harish Rawat has spoken in favour of voluntary land consolidation.
Land settlement necessary
The other reason of the government’s passiveness is that land settlement is mandatory before consolidation. For land settlement, the Revenue Department will have to decide the number of owners of a family land. The Union government has already sanctioned a budget of Rs 90 crore to the state government to complete fresh settlement but the latter is not interested. Shortage of employees and officials in the Revenue Department is also an impediment. More than 140 employees recruited in hill districts for land consolidation during undivided Uttar Pradesh are now reported missing in government records. The authorities concerned have no information about them. Bureaucracy and red tape have also been impeding consolidation efforts.
Agriculture non-profitable
Land consolidation is the biggest issue in the hilly region. Uttarkashi, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Almora, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar and Champawat are the most affected districts due to fragmented agriculture land. Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts are less affected. Multiple ownership of agriculture land has also squeezed its availability. And due to less land availability, agriculture in scattered fields has become non-profitable, forcing farmers to abandon farming and take up other occupations or migrate to plains.
Limited and fragmented land has badly affected the economy of farmers and led to large scale migration of youths from hill villages in search of livelihood opportunities. A census of Almora and Pauri Garhwal districts has revealed a negative growth of population. Cultivation of cash crops in scattered fields in hills is not remunerative and youths have to leave their villages in search of livelihood earning elsewhere. The conditions are the same in all nine hill districts but Pauri Garhwal and Almora districts are the most affected due to migration. Most of the agriculture land in both districts has become fallow. Even irrigated land in these districts is covered with hedgerow.
Meek response
Political leaders never seriously considered the issue of land consolidation. Ganesh Singh Garib, a farmer of the Kaljikhal block, says in 1992, Member of Parliament BC Khanduri had assured him of seriously considering land consolidation. Garib had also met Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi in 1987 and PV Narshima Rao in 1992 and both had agreed with him about the need for land consolidation in hilly districts but didn’t take much interest later. Meanwhile, in 90s Zila Panchayat chairman of Uttarkashi Rajendra Singh started land consolidation in his native village Beef. He convinced landowners and farmers for voluntary land consolidation. He was successful in the initial stage but the government authorities didn't help him and his efforts went in vain. In 2006, the ND Tiwari government formed a committee headed by Puran Dangwal to implement land consolidation in Ganesh Garib’s Kaljikhal block but the local authorities failed to convince farmers. Both Congress and BJP have never raised this crucial issue in their election manifestos.
Indifferent leaders
The next Assembly elections are nearing but people are yet to hear from political leaders about the issue. All political parties, NGOs and social organisations are raising the issue of migration from hilly areas but none is focusing on land consolidation as a solution. In fact, unemployment and lack of financial resources are the main issues in hill villages and agriculture can be the major source of livelihood there. But without land consolidation no one can cultivate cash crops at a large scale in scattered fields. Land consolidation will help in promoting agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, herb production, dairy farming, aromatic plant cultivation, poultry and battery farming. Cultivation of cash crops and vegetables can generate money comparatively in less time if the problem of shrinking and scattered agriculture land is tackled. So, land consolidation is a predominant solution to migration and unemployment in hill villages.
No mention at rallies
Unfortunately, land consolidation and agriculture were not issues of the pre-election campaign Satat Vikas Sankalp Yatra of the Congress and the Parivartan Yatra of the BJP. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh raised the migration issue at the Parivartan Yatra at Roorkee recently but it would remain an empty rhetoric if land consolidation was not done to promote agriculture in hill villages. People of the hill region are waiting to see whether the Congress and the BJP give place to land consolidation and agriculture in their manifestos for the forthcoming Assembly elections.
Population concentration
Uttarakhand has 6 million hectares available and of which 31 lakh hectares is wasteland, 1.5 lakh hectares fallow and 2.23 lakh hectares is non-agriculture land. According to the recommendations of the advisory committee, all types of land will be considered in the consolidation process. The use of total land will be ensured to boost the economy of landowners and farmers. Political leaders have been making false promises of establishing industry in hill districts where its possibility is limited. About 65 per cent of the population lives in the plains, which is only 14 per cent (7,448 sq km) of the total land (53,483 sq km), while 35 per cent of the population lives in the hilly region (46,035 sq km), which is 86 per cent of the total area of the state. Demography could be the reason that political parties have been ignoring hilly districts in development, land consolidation and other issues.
