Bihar relies on village chowkidars to resolve land disputes early, reduce crime

To get information of land disputes from far-flung villages that often lead to serious crimes, the Bihar government will now use village chowkidars. The department of revenue and land reforms has asked the chowkidars to provide weekly information on land disputes, enabling the concerned circle officer (CO) and station house officer (SHO) to take the necessary preventive measures to resolve the cases early, officials said on Tuesday.

It is assumed that the village chowkidars have all the information on land disputes in their respective villages. The department has also deputed IPS officer, Chandrashekhar Vidyarthi, to review the weekly land dispute meetings organised by the COs and SHOs every Saturdays and suggest corrective measures.

Last year, the department asked all the CO and SHOs to hold weekly meetings on Saturdays to resolve land disputes. Besides, chief minister Nitish Kumar on December 8, 2020, in a review meeting held by the department of revenue and land reforms, emphasised on the importance of village chowkidars in getting timely information on land disputes.

According to the National Crime Bureau Record (NCRB), in Bihar in 2019, there were 3,707 crime incidents related to land and property disputes, while the number of people killed were 5,227, or 3.1% per lakh.

A department official said despite the government orders some COs were not uploading the information from weekly meetings on the official website.

“According to the IT cell of the department, till March 1, 2021, out of total 534 circles in Bihar, 182 COs had not provided information to the department for weekly review of each circle. In Patna alone, out of 23 circles, 11 COs had not provided information to the department,” he said.

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Revenue and land reforms additional chief secretary Vivek Kumar Singh again asked the COs and SHOs on Tuesday to hold weekly meetings and upload the proceedings in a prescribed format on the department’s website.

Last year, the government asked the COs and SHOs to hold joint meetings and accept written complaints of land disputes. The government had also asked the district magistrates and superintendents of police to maintain a list of land disputes and their disposal in their offices.