Zamindari system still prevalent in Kalimpong, alleges Raiyat Welfare Association

 MUKESH SHARMA KALIMPONG, May 21: The Raiyat Welfare Association has been fighting for years in order to provide the ownership of the land under the DI Fund and the Development Area of Kalimpong. The members of the Association today organized a press meet through which they can aware the people about the same. During the meet they informed that the land of Kalimpong town has been divided into 3 parts namely, Khasmal, Development Area and DI Fund. They alleged that there have been no developments in the Development Area and people are deprived of various facilities. 

Though in 1955 Land Development Law was framed but still after India’s independence the Zamindari system is prevalent in Kalimpong, charged the Association. The Land Development Office is keeping the people away from the said law, they added. The 1955 Law is meant for the agricultural land development and the 1981 Law states that the non agricultural should be freed from Zamindari and should be brought under the land development. According to the law the people are the owners but the Administration is not abiding by the laws by keeping the land in lease. The Association had also filed a case against the same at the Land Development Tribunal, Salt Lake Kolkata. The Land Development Tribunal has declared the work under the DI Fund as illegal. But still the same has been continuing, they added. The Association appealed the people of Development Area and DI Fund to be aware of this and voice for the issue. “If we do not get the ownership of our own land which has been passed to us by our ancestors then we will have nowhere else to go. Law has been made but not initiated yet”, they stated.