Yogi wants land ownership for 10k families from then East Pakistan

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials on Monday to provide land ownership to over 10,000 families displaced from then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, between 1960 and 1975, and settled in and around Pilibhit, Lakhimpur, Bijnor and Rampur.

The CM said if land was not available, alternative plots should be provided to affected families. Officials said that though these families had even constructed homes, land had not been transferred to them legally for various reasons.

Calling this action a "national responsibility" and not just a matter of land transfer, the CM said, "This would be an opportunity to acknowledge the years of struggle these families went through after leaving their homes and moving to India to resettle."

"These families, which took refuge in India and have waited for rightful rehabilitation, must be treated with sensitivity and dignity. It is the moral responsibility of govt," he said.

The CM said that with the repeal of the Govt Grants Act in 2018, it was necessary for govt to explore alternate legal mechanisms to provide land rights to the resettled families. He directed officials to look for new provisions within existing laws to address these issues.

"This is not just a policy decision. It is a sensitive and historic step towards delivering justice to those displaced families that have lived in uncertainty for decades. This effort must be viewed through the lens of social justice, humanity and national responsibility. It is a chance to restore dignity to lives long overlooked," the CM said. tnn