Gondia's nazul land to be converted to Class-1 free of charge, state Cabinet decides

Gondia, Nov 5: A significant step has been taken towards resolving the question of ownership for thousands of people who have lived for years on nazul land in the city. At a Cabinet meeting, the state government decided to convert nazul land in Gondia city to Class-1 without charging any fee.

The decision is being credited to the sustained efforts of Gondia MLA Vinod Agrawal. It is being described as a historic decision for Gondia. The way has been cleared for major relief to people who had waited for years to get ownership of their land. Coming just before Diwali, the decision is nothing short of a big gift for the people of the city.

Sindhi community to get rights too. MLA Agrawal also pursued the matter at the government level for members of the Sindhi community, who have borne the pain of displacement since Independence and have been waiting for land leases and ownership rights. He took the initiative to get them ownership of their land. It has been stated that land leases will be distributed on November 6, and hundreds of Sindhi community members will receive leases from MLA Agrawal before Diwali. The community had been demanding its rights for several years. Several public representatives had made promises on the issue earlier, but no lasting solution emerged. MLA Agrawal took the demand seriously and raised it repeatedly with the government, after which the way to getting the leases opened.

18,000 people in rural areas already given leases. Through MLA Agrawal's efforts, 13,000 people living on gaothan land and 5,000 people living on encroached land in rural areas have already received land leases. State Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule was himself present at that event. On the same occasion, MLA Agrawal had been the first to raise the long-pending question of nazul land in Gondia city and demanded a permanent solution. The result of that persistent follow-up has now come in the form of this significant decision for the city.

Along with nazul land, MLA Agrawal has stepped up efforts to secure relief for people who have been living since before 1996 on forest land classed as jhudpi jungle after encroaching on it, and for members of the Sindhi community living in the city's Tekpar area. He wants these people to be regularised and given the right to leases as well. He said that securing justice for people who have waited for years for rights to their land is his priority.

For this decision, MLA Vinod Agrawal has thanked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule.