Villagers united to protect land from encroachment
   Date :17-Jul-2021

Villagers united to prote 
 
 
By Roshan Chachane
Denizens of a small village Chikhladih got united to protect a government land used by public for general purposes from encroachment. The villagers accumulated a fund of Rs 50,000 to erect fence around 20 acres of land to ward-off encroachment and to turn it into a green zone with plantation.
 
Located at a few kilometres from Bahigaon of Keshkal Tehsil, village Chikhladih was once a part of Pipra. The village only has around 45 families living there and most of them are tribal and live in abject poverty. Social worker Krishendutt Upadhyay told ‘The Hitavada’ that lesser numbers or financial stress didn’t stop them from setting an exemplary act of self-reliance. The Revenue Department and influential people of the region forced the villagers to line up against the nefarious design of encroachment.
 
Cornered by the nexus of Revenue Department and influential people of the town, tribal families were left with no other option, but to pool up their hard-earned financial resources and hard work to build fences around the 20 acre land. Now that the land has been secured, villagers are now planning to plant trees. These villagers also want to invite the officers of Revenue Department, Forest Department as well as leaders and journalists to cover the plantation programme.
 
Upadhyay further said that the villagers were driven by the sudden need arisen by the Revenue Department officials’ evil designs to settle outsiders and ineligible persons on the land. Villagers say it all started when State Government initiated a programme to give farmers lease on the land they are occupying and officials began drafting lease on the names of people from other villages without taking the locals. The people who never ever lived there or had any business were about to get lease of the land.
 
In a carefully and sneakily chalked out strategy, officials were given permission to sell or purchase of land after settling the documents and carving out maps of the land. With the collusion of officials and politically influential persons, the government land was registered on August 9, 2007. In the meantime, Jatropha Curcas (Ratanjot) plants were planted under Hareli Saheli government programme with government funds. Villagers caught by surprise when some rich people of the town suddenly showed up to occupy the land after closed door deal. No one paid heed to the opposition of villagers against purchase/selling of government land. Some people even got approval for drilling a bore-well with grant from Agriculture Department.
 
Registry documents were forged for second registry by amending the map. Agriculture Department and Fishery Department also generously sanctioned grant by overlooking the opposition by villagers. But when the villagers learned about a proposal of installation of some industrial unit on the land submitted with the Sub-Divisional Officer Revenue Keshkal, villagers expressed their objections by submitting memorandum to Tehsildar and Sub-Divisional Officer as well as Collector Kondagaon, but once again they were overlooked and officials went through diversion.