Family of rebel gets govt-promised land a decade after his surrender

Ranchi: The family of a rebel, who had surrendered 10 years ago and died, finally got a piece of land in their name on Monday, after filing a complaint at the “janta darbar” conducted by the district administration here.

A decade ago, Trilochan Singh laid down his arms, and the state govt promised to provide him with four decimals of land under its surrender policy, then known as “Nai Disha”. Singh never got the promised land during his lifetime, though he was allotted one.Singh was sent to jail after his surrender. He came out a free man after serving his term and later died. His wife, Thakurmuni Devi, was given a job at a private firm, which she still holds, according to official sources.

Meanwhile, Singh’s wife Thakurmuni and his brother, Kaushal Singh Munda, applied for relocation of the land allotted to them as they felt going to the particular area would be unsafe, as Maoists could target them.

They, however, never expected that owning the land or getting it registered and mutated in their name would be a long-drawn, cumbersome process.According to an official statement, the duo then filed a complaint at the “janta darbar” to air their grievances.

After reading their application, Ranchi DC Manjunath Bhajantri called the circle officer concerned with instructions to provide a relocated land to the family, the statement said. Finally, the couple got the land as the process that had been pending for years was completed in minutes.“Kaushal and Thakurmuni came out of the DC office room with smiles on their faces,” the statement added. During the “darbar”, complaints related to revenue, land disputes, social security schemes, pensions, education, bridge construction and other problems were also heard and resolved.

Till late evening, the DC listened to every application and directed the officials concerned to take immediate action.DC said that Janta Darbar is the most effective medium for the common people to have direct access to the administration. He directed that all officials should work to dispose of every application received at the “darbar” with priority and transparency. “The aim of the administration is that no proper complaint should be ignored and the image of the district administration should be one of trust among the common people,” the statement quoted the DC as saying.