Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday, July 21, ordered that thousands of uprooted Hindu families who fled East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), should receive legal ownership of the land they have lived on for decades.
Chairing a meeting, the Chief Minister said that the issue goes beyond just paperwork and is a matter of moral responsibility. “This is not just a matter of transfer of land, but an opportunity to honour the life struggle of thousands of families," he said during the meeting, as quoted by ANI.
Have a look at his entire statement here:
'Long-Delayed Promise of Rahibilitation'
The directive pertains to nearly 10,000 families who were displaced during the turbulent years surrounding India’s Partition and later crises in East Pakistan. Many of them were reportedly resettled across various districts in Uttar Pradesh but have continued to live without legal ownership of their allotted land.
CM Yogi underscored the need for sensitivity in handling their cases, asking officials to treat the displaced with “due respect and dignity”. He called the effort “a new hope” for families that have been neglected for generations, stressing that their rehabilitation is long overdue.
Officials to Explore New Legal Pathways
Acknowledging the legal hurdles involved, the CM Yogi instructed officials to explore new options, as the Government Grant Act, under which land was previously allocated, was repealed in 2018. He called for urgent identification of viable legal frameworks to facilitate formal land transfer.
Officials have also been tasked with creating a detailed plan of action to resolve all pending case.