Govt to recover khas land from illegal occupation, Minu tells JS

Land Minister Mizanur Rahman Minu today said the government will take all the necessary steps to make the government khas land free from illegal occupation.

"The government is committed to take effective action to make the government khas land free from land encroachers and also committed to distributing khas land under the Ministry of Land to genuine landless people," he said.

The minister said this while responding to an emergency public important notice raised by ruling party lawmaker Mohammad Nurul Islam from Bhola-4 under section 71 of the rules of procedure at the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) here with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad Bir-Bikram in the chair.

The present government is working for the welfare of the people as the
government has included the khas land recovery programme under the 180 days programme.

At the same time, the government is committed to distributing khas land under the Ministry of Land to genuine landless people.

He assured that poor families who have been living in a specific area for 40-45 years will be allotted khas land through the Deputy Commissioner.

He said the situation had arisen due to the failure of some officials who
were previously in charge. He also noted that standing by helpless and
destitute people is his moral responsibility, in line with his election
promises.

The minister sharply criticised local land grabbers from the previous
government's tenure.

He said that during the previous government, land grabbers had attempted to seize the public property.

Regarding khas land, the Land Minister said, if necessary, initiatives would be taken to allot one to two kathas of land to each family.

The government has adopted a 180-day priority plan to recover illegally
occupied government land and distribute reclaimed khas land among eligible beneficiaries.

The minister said that alongside the short-term initiative, the government
has also formulated medium- and long-term strategies to address the issue of land encroachment in a sustainable manner.

Highlighting the government's firm stance, Minu emphasized that strict legal measures are being enforced to free encroached government land.

These include the implementation of the Government and Local Authority Land and Buildings (Recovery of Possession) Ordinance, 1970, the Land Crime Prevention and Remedy Act, 2023, and the Land Crime Prevention and Remedy Rules, 2024.

He further noted that funds have been allocated to deputy commissioners at the field level to support recovery operations, along with necessary directives to ensure effective implementation of the initiative.