Bihar government mooting to take over Bettiah Raj land

Patna: The Bihar government is contemplating taking over the land worth about Rs 7,960 crore, belonging to the erstwhile estate of Bettiah Raj, one of the largest zamindaris of the state, a large part which was encroached upon, an official said.

The move is being made to ensure 'effective protection and management' of the nearly 15,358 acres of land, mostly in Bihar’s East and West Champaran districts and in Uttar Pradesh, the senior official said.

The estate is currently managed by the Court of Wards, Board of Revenue of the Bihar government.

According to data compiled by the Board of Revenue till December 13 last year, which is in the possession of the PTI, of the total land belonging to Bettiah Estate in West Champaran district, 6,505 acres (around 66 per cent) have been encroached upon.

On the other hand, 3,219 acres or around 60 per cent of such land in East Champaran, have been encroached upon.

Chairman-cum-Member of the Board of Revenue, K K Pathak, in an October order pertaining to a case related to a plot of land in West Champaran, said, “The state government is contemplating the vesting of entire Bettiah Raj Estate in itself and a Bill (in this regard) is likely to be placed before the next session of the Legislature in December 2024”.

"Once the Bill is passed, the entire property will come under the state's Revenue and Land Reforms department. The Bihar government has already initiated a process to clear the encroachments. It will be further intensified," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Despite repeated attempts by the PTI, Bihar Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Dilip Jaiswal could not be contacted.

According to the office of the Court of Wards, the landed property of Bettiah Raj is worth Rs 7,957.38 crore. Out of the total 15,358.60 acres of land, 15,215.33 acres is in Bihar and 143.26 acres is in UP.

According to officials, a large chunk of land that came under the erstwhile Bettiah Raj has been encroached upon over the years.

A survey is underway in Bihar, and the authorities concerned have directed officials to identify Bettiah Estate land and free it from encroachment.

The Bihar government is undertaking a special land survey to update land records in the state.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recently directed officials of the Revenue and land reforms departments to timely complete the survey exercise in the state and said more time would be given to landowners for submission of self-declaration regarding ownership of land.

The last Raja of Bettiah Raj, Harendra Kishore Singh, died heirless on 26 March 1893 leaving behind two widows - Maharani Sheo Ratna Kunwar and Maharani Janki Kunwar.

His first wife Sheo Ratna Kunwar died in 1896. Since it was reportedly found that Maharani Janki Kunwar was not able to administer the estate, its management was taken over by the Court of Wards. Maharani Janki Kunwar, who was a limited holder of the estate, died in 1954.

Besides East and West Champaran districts, landed property under the Bettiah Estate are also found in Gopalganj, Siwan, Patna and Saran districts of Bihar.