Ranchi: The understanding of land maps in Jharkhand has emerged as a formidable challenge, leading to a surge in land disputes due to a language barrier. The state government’s initiative to procure 82,129 maps from the Raghuvar government in Bihar at a cost of Rs 52 crore has faced obstacles as the maps are primarily in the Kaithi language, posing difficulties for those responsible for resolving land-related issues.
The Kaithi language, unfamiliar to many in Jharkhand, has contributed to a lack of comprehension, hindering the resolution of land disputes. The retirement of individuals proficient in Kaithi has compounded the problem, leaving the government grappling with the task of deciphering the maps.
The significance of these maps lies in their potential to resolve 80 to 90 percent of land disputes if adequately understood and interpreted. Presently, the state is grappling with 72,311 pending cases of dismissal and 875,282 rejected cases. Out of a total of 1,738,790 cases, only 791,187 filing-dismissal cases have been executed.
The primary objectives behind procuring these maps were twofold: first, to enable accurate estimation of the mapping of every village in the state, and second, to facilitate the proper distribution of pending assets between Bihar and Jharkhand. The intended outcome was to provide one copy of the map to the landowner (ryot) and another to be kept in a printing press.
However, the state has encountered setbacks in the execution of these objectives. Digitization of maps remains incomplete, and the proposed installation of a printing press for photo copying, at a cost of Rs 25 crore, has not materialized.
The repercussions of these challenges include a surge in land disputes concerning tenant lands, an increase in cases of illegal occupation, and a rise in legal disputes due to tenants being denied ownership rights.
Despite the procurement of 82,129 maps from Bihar’s Gulzarbagh Press and their transportation to Jharkhand, the language barrier persists as a substantial obstacle in the path to resolving the state’s pressing land disputes.
