Patna/Bettiah: More than 350 families in Bihar’s West Champaran district have been issued notices asking them to vacate land they have occupied for generations, triggering anxiety and protests among residents who say they now face the threat of homelessness.
The notices were served to 355 families living in the Bhitaha block on land recorded under the Bettiah Raj estate, a former princely property, as bulldozer action will begin soon in the area. Local revenue officials said the action was taken on the instructions of the estate’s management, prompting fears of imminent eviction among villagers.
Residents say their families have lived on the land for between 100 and 125 years and that the plots were originally allotted to their ancestors during the Bettiah Raj period. Many claim that official documents proving their rights were destroyed over decades by floods and fires, leaving them unable to meet current demands for paperwork.
“We built our homes with our life savings,” said one resident. “If the houses are demolished, we will be left on the streets. We have nowhere else to go.”
Villagers allege that they are being asked to vacate the land without alternative arrangements, compensation, or rehabilitation. Several families have appealed to the government to regularise their occupation through leases or fresh allotments, arguing that they are daily wage workers with no other shelter options.
The notices have created an atmosphere of fear across the settlement, with residents saying they are struggling to sleep amid uncertainty over their future.
Manoranjan Shukla, the circle officer of Bhitaha, said the administration was acting on directions received from the Bettiah Raj management. “What happens next will depend on their decision,” he said, adding that local officials were implementing orders as instructed.
The case highlights the wider challenge of land rights in Bihar, where informal settlements, lost records, and historical estates continue to collide with modern administrative processes—often leaving long-established communities vulnerable to displacement.
