Chakbandi to become reality in state soon

Neena Sharma

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 6

Fifteen years after the creation of the state, the implementation of chakbandi in the hilly districts now seems to be in sight with the draft Bill on chakbandi presented to the Chief Minister on Tuesday.

Prepared by the Parvartiya Chakbandi Salhakar Samiti, the draft has spelt out a well laid out plan for undertaking consolidation of scattered land holdings and revitalise barren agriculture in the hilly districts of the state.

Once the Bill becomes an Act, it will be implemented in the hilly districts of the state, excluding Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, plain areas of Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, and Champawat.

“The basic premise of the chakbandi exercise is to amalgamate and redistribute fragmented land holdings scattered in different corners in the hilly districts. Unfortunately, we were not able to undertake in the hilly districts, though it is already implemented in the plain districts since the UP days,” said Kedar Singh Rawat, chairman of the samiti.

The benefits of land consolidation (creation of chaks) are manifold; small land (jots) fragmented here and there will be amalgamated at one place. “In the hills as jots are spread all over, it entails intensive labour and farmer is seen growing different things in small quantities, which is not profitable. After chakbandi, farmers can grow vegetables or any crop of his liking extensively, thereby increasing the production value of his produce,” said Ganesh Singh Garib, the man behind the Chakbandi movement.

“Further, the concept of cluster farming too can be practiced with ease as farmers can develop farmhouses independently and even set up processing units. This will arrest migration,” he said.

Farmers can also set up protection walls barbed wires to protect his produce against the attack of wild animals. As of now, the approval of the neighbouring land owner has to be taken because of fragmented land.

Former Chakbandi Bandobast officer KS Bhandari said, “It will arrest migration. People who left their villages will be able to exactly know how much is their land holding after the consolidation is over.” So far, more than 250 villages have submitted proposal before the committee for voluntary consolidation.