Cops to take strict action against land mafia, says CM Banerjee

Kolkata: Admitting the existence of land mafias in the state chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused a section of police personnel and land and land reforms department officials of being hand in glove with them to take control of government and private land illegally.

Adopting a zero-tolerance stand she also directed the police to take strong action against the land mafias and the government servants.

“Do not allow anyone to grab land. There are some land mafias. They grab government land and private land here and there and then they sell it off. They think its their own property. Thus they mint money individually. This money neither goes to the government nor to any noble activity. There is no need of such money in our party. I have made it clear already,” the chief minister told the administrative review meeting of Alipurduar district in North Bengal.

Issuing an warning she said, “So those who do it individually or in a land mafia network would not be spared. I am speaking against each and every mafia network, be it sand, coal, land or cattle. I am asking the police to take strong action. In some areas the police also get involved in it. We will not tolerate it. In some places the block land reform officers (BLRO) also get involved in it.”

Expressing her anguish Ms Banerjee mentioned, “Same happens in the case of district land reform officers, sub divisional land reforms officers (SDLRO). We have heard such a case in Darjeeling. There were some illegal areas which the SDLRO has turned legal. We will take strong action. The land and land reforms department’s principal secretary and state director general of police are present here. Do not spare a BLRO if he commits an offence. Take criminal cognisance, civil and criminal both.”

The chief minister’s sudden public outburt against the government servants came as a rude shock to many senior bureaucrats at the meeting.

Apart from vowing to crack down on the mafia-raj Ms Banerjee also took stock of various projects’ implementation in the district.