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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Deliver Within 100 Days For the Sake of Sukkumbasis

editorial:
The Land Bank scheme of the State Government is a well intentioned and reasonably well implemented. If there is anything holding back the programme, it is bureaucratic disinterest, because funds have been lavishly earmarked and when it comes to providing for the still landless Sikkimese, plots can always be arranged. Launched in 1997, the Land Bank scheme has thus far distributed land, at least 1,000 sq. ft. [upgraded to 2,000 sq ft in 2008-09], to 1,318 people. Listed in the tasks spelled out by the Chief Minister’s Office for Government departments to deliver within 100 days, is the direction to the Land Revenue Department to implement the scheme “vigorously”. The Department is to evaluate the scheme and submit “innovative ideas” to get it back on even keel. The directions also include reminders on how the beneficiaries are to be identified and land transferred to them. Thirteen years since the programme was implemented, one would have expected the officers to know how to implement it, but they have obviously slipped and that is the whole idea behind setting up specific tasks for departments to deliver within 100 days – remind them of their basic responsibilities.
The State Government has sanctioned Rs. 812.58 lakh for acquisition and distribution of land to the Sukkumbasis [landless] in the 13 years that the project has already been under implementation. The funds are transferred to the District Collectorates which process candidates and distribute land to them. Against the Rs. 812.58 lakh transferred to the DAC’s, they have utilised only Rs. 675.80 lakh to acquire and distribute land to 86% of the beneficiaries finalised. 184 beneficiaries, some identified at the very beginning of the scheme in 1997, still await the services of the Land Bank. With Rs. 1.36 crore still unspent from the sanctioned amount, the reason is obviously not lack of funds. The Department has claimed non-availability of land as the reason, but there simply cannot be any justification for this to have remained the case for so long. Policy commitment cannot be faulted either because the funds were transferred even though utilisation had come up short, so the only plausible reason why people remained unserviced has to be administrative confusion. There definitely appears to be some confusion in the Land Revenue Department in the implementation of the Land Bank Scheme because till 2004, all lands made out to beneficiaries in East and South districts were registered in the Department’s name without any settlement of lease with the beneficiaries, while subsequent registrations were made directly in the name of the beneficiaries as was always done in West Sikkim, without the scheme having been modified. The 100 day revision issued for the Land Revenue Department by the Chief Minister’s Office informs that land is to be made out on 99 year lease. There is a definite communication gap which could only have resulted from bureaucratic disinterest because all that it would have taken to clarify things, would have been for the Department to read up the notification announcing the scheme. Instead, when inconsistencies surfaced, they preferred to go slack on the scheme leaving nearly two crores in unspent funds and 184 expectant, but ignored beneficiaries. The 100-day deadline served to the department to evaluate and bring the scheme back on course is thus welcome, as much to clear the backlog, as to ensure that no Sikkimese remains landless.

1 comment:

  1. The land allocation to the "sukumbasis" is a good initiative but where is the land? the 80%of sikkim land is forest cover and in government hand i supopose. Rest in many areas land ahas been acquired by the private power developers. The landholdings of the sikkimese population is very low so if they start selling their land now they will become "sukumbasi" soon. The Government has acquired a large amount of land in pakyoung sub division which can be given given to the " sukumbasi". I feel this is the only plausiable solution.

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