Land grabbing

The committee, which gave the names of some real estate developers, also said that a full list of the illegal occupants would soon be made public. It is another reminder of the truth that land grabbing is going on in an organised manner, with the measures adopted to stop the illegal practice being far from adequate.

A recent survey showed that land grabbers were active all over the country. Such activities are a big drain on the vital national asset. The committee has asked the government to take immediate steps to recover the land lost to the real estate developers.

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The government's options are limited. It has to identify the land grabbers and go flat-out to evict them. Matters have been made complicated by the fact that many of the grabbers have forged documents at their disposal. This is the result of the issue being ignored year after year. The noose of the law was slackened to the point where such gross violation of the law could take place.

Obviously, the expropriators have not been alone in their unlawful acts. Most of them have political clout and they must have worked in collusion with the government officials concerned. There is no other way to explain how the land slipped out of the government's hand.

However, the committee has rightly suggested that the cases of land grabbing be filed under the Speedy Trial Act. Speed is an important element here since loss of time in recovering the land would only prolong illegal occupation of the land that the government can use for various development projects.

The government must act quickly and decisively against the land grabbers.