Patna : Houses built on 400 acres of land west of Ashiana-Digha Road in Patna will soon be regularized, bringing relief to thousands of residents. The Urban Development Department is drafting the Digha Acquired Land Settlement (Amendment) Bill-2025, which will provide legal status to these homes, similar to the process that was previously implemented for houses on the eastern side.
Under the current provisions of the Digha Acquired Land Settlement Act of 2010, homes on the western side were ineligible for regularization, with residents expected to be compensated with flats or land instead. However, officials have acknowledged that constructing a township to accommodate such a large number of families is impractical. The new amendment will address this by enabling regularization. Once the bill secures approval from the government and the legislature, it will allow for the regularization of homes across 1024.52 acres on both sides of Ashiana-Digha Road. More than 10,000 houses have been constructed in the east and around 5,000 in the west.
No Obligation for Freehold Conversion
Srinath Singh, president of the Digha Krishi Bhoomi-Awas Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, welcomed the government’s proposal, noting that after several rounds of discussions with the committee, it was agreed that homes built on the 1024.52 acres will be settled upon payment of 10% of the Minimum Value Register (MVR). Residents will have the option to convert their land to freehold status by paying the prescribed fee to the Housing Board, but this will remain voluntary.
Srinath Singh also highlighted that amendments are being proposed to Sections 3E, 6, and 7 of the Digha Acquired Land Settlement Act of 2010. These changes will eliminate the long-standing distinction between the eastern and western parts of the settlement.
Call for Token-Based Regularization
Virendra Singh, general secretary of the Sangharsh Samiti, urged the government to consider regularizing the Rajivnagar-Digha homes by collecting a token amount, similar to the process followed in Bhagwatnagar. He emphasized that many residents had purchased land from farmers through legitimate means and argued that imposing high fees for regularization would be unfair. Ritesh Ranjan Singh, also known as Bittu Singh, echoed this sentiment, stating that the people had already paid for their land and should not be burdened with additional costs.
Land Acquisition Dates Back to 1974
The Bihar State Housing Board began acquiring 1024.52 acres of land in Digha in 1974, triggering decades of conflict between farmers and the board. Although the government enacted the Digha law in 2010 and invited applications for regularization in 2014, most residents did not apply. The earlier provision allowed for regularization of houses on 600 acres in the east while offering ex-gratia compensation for homes on 400 acres in the west. With the new amendment, the government aims to resolve the 51-year-old dispute and provide a permanent solution for affected residents.
