100-bigha land ownership ceiling

Move on to regulate housing companies

The government is set to enact a law soon to enforce the bar on ownership of over 100 bigha of land by any individual or entity. While the limit on land ownership had been in place through The Bangladesh Land Holding (Limitation) President order No 98 of 1972, land ministry sources said the law is necessary as many housing companies are involved in procuring both agricultural and non-agricultural lands across the country in violation of the order, which is not implemented properly. The order also states that the individual or body must hand over any land possession in excess of 100 bigha to the government. However, the government has decided that housing companies can own more than 100 bighas of land only after taking permission from the appropriate authorities.

Meanwhile, the land ministry has sent letters to deputy commissioners asking them to update information regarding khas lands. According to land ministry sources, there are a total of 1,046,168.22 acres of undisputed khas lands in the country as of December 2015. The Gazipur district commissioner has informed the land ministry stating that housing companies have occupied 216.18 acres (649 bighas approximately) of khas lands for their 11 housing projects in the district.

A meeting was held on reclaiming the khas lands inside different housing projects between land ministry officials and representatives of housing companies at the ministry’s office in early this month.

Representatives of Bashundhara Group, Rupayan Group, Navana Real Estate, United Land Purbachal City and Biswas Builders attended the meeting. “We want development but the housing companies must take prior permission from appropriate authorities to procure lands to implement their housing projects,” Land Minister Shamsur Rahman Sharif told owners of housing companies at the meeting.

The minister has also reminded the real estate owners that no one will be allowed to procure land beyond the ceiling enforced by the government.

He also sought cooperation from different quarters, including housing owners, to help reclaim the government’s khas lands inside their projects, for the sake of public interest. “An individual can be the owner of 100 standard bighas of land. As per law, 60 standard bighas of land will be agricultural and the remaining will be non-agricultural,” Md Abdul Jalil, secretary of the land ministry, told The Independent recently.

When asked how many housing companies have already procured thousands bighas of lands, he replied, “We don’t know. But from now, the deputy commissioners will look after the issue as per law and the land registrars will not register land if it is found that the person or company has already crossed the land ownership ceiling.”

He has said there are also other options. If anybody needs to implement projects, he or she or housing companies need to have prior permission from the district deputy commissioners to procure lands.

“We are yet to get the total information from DCs, except Gazipur, regarding khas lands. A total of 216.18 acres of land are now lying inside 11 housing projects only in Gazipur. The housing companies have also admitted the matter and they are yet to develop any structures on the land,” the land secretary said.

The ministry has directed the authorities concerned to reclaim the land after proper scrutiny, he added. When his attention was drawn to the formulation of land protection law, he said, the draft Agricultural Land Protection and Land Use Act 2016, has already been finalised and it would be sent to the cabinet for approval soon.

The land ministry had taken the initiative in 2001 to ban construction of houses and industrial units on multi-crop farmlands, but failed to formulate a law over the past 17 years.

The first meeting of the National Land Use Committee was held after 14 years on February 25, 2015, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, after the National Land Use Policy was formulated on June 21, 2001.

At least 36 directives were issued at the meeting for proper utilisation of multi-crop land, sources said. According to the sources, at least 26.56 lakh acres of farmlands were shifted to non-agricultural sector between 2003 and 2013. Over 661 acres of agricultural land are being changed to non-agricultural sector per day, the sources added.

As per The Bangladesh Land Holding (Limitation) President order No 98 of 1972, “no family [or body] shall be entitled to retain any land held by it in excess of one hundred standard bighas in the aggregate and all lands held by it in excess of that quantity shall be surrendered to the government; and no family [or body] shall be entitled to acquire any land by purchase, inheritance, gift, heba or otherwise which, added to the land already held by it exceeds one hundred standard bighas in the aggregate”.

100-bigha land ownership ceiling

Move on to regulate housing companies

The government is set to enact a law soon to enforce the bar on ownership of over 100 bigha of land by any individual or entity. While the limit on land ownership had been in place through The Bangladesh Land Holding (Limitation) President order No 98 of 1972, land ministry sources said the law is necessary as many housing companies are involved in procuring both agricultural and non-agricultural lands across the country in violation of the order, which is not implemented properly. The order also states that the individual or body must hand over any land possession in excess of 100 bigha to the government. However, the government has decided that housing companies can own more than 100 bighas of land only after taking permission from the appropriate authorities. Meanwhile, the land ministry has sent letters to deputy commissioners asking them to update information regarding khas lands. According to land ministry sources, there are a total of 1,046,168.22 acres of undisputed khas lands in the country as of December 2015. The Gazipur district commissioner has informed the land ministry stating that housing companies have occupied 216.18 acres (649 bighas approximately) of khas lands for their 11 housing projects in the district. A meeting was held on reclaiming the khas lands inside different housing projects between land ministry officials and representatives of housing companies at the ministrys office in early this month. Representatives of Bashundhara Group, Rupayan Group, Navana Real Estate, United Land Purbachal City and Biswas Builders attended the meeting. We want development but the housing companies must take prior permission from appropriate authorities to procure lands to implement their housing projects, Land Minister Shamsur Rahman Sharif told owners of housing companies at the meeting. The minister has also reminded the real estate owners that no one will be allowed to procure land beyond the ceiling enforced by the government. He also sought cooperation from different quarters, including housing owners, to help reclaim the governments khas lands inside their projects, for the sake of public interest. An individual can be the owner of 100 standard bighas of land. As per law, 60 standard bighas of land will be agricultural and the remaining will be non-agricultural, Md Abdul Jalil, secretary of the land ministry, told The Independent recently. When asked how many housing companies have already procured thousands bighas of lands, he replied, We dont know. But from now, the deputy commissioners will look after the issue as per law and the land registrars will not register land if it is found that the person or company has already crossed the land ownership ceiling. He has said there are also other options. If anybody needs to implement projects, he or she or housing companies need to have prior permission from the district deputy commissioners to procure lands. We are yet to get the total information from DCs, except Gazipur, regarding khas lands. A total of 216.18 acres of land are now lying inside 11 housing projects only in Gazipur. The housing companies have also admitted the matter and they are yet to develop any structures on the land, the land secretary said. The ministry has directed the authorities concerned to reclaim the land after proper scrutiny, he added. When his attention was drawn to the formulation of land protection law, he said, the draft Agricultural Land Protection and Land Use Act 2016, has already been finalised and it would be sent to the cabinet for approval soon. The land ministry had taken the initiative in 2001 to ban construction of houses and industrial units on multi-crop farmlands, but failed to formulate a law over the past 17 years. The first meeting of the National Land Use Committee was held after 14 years on February 25, 2015, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, after the National Land Use Policy was formulated on June 21, 2001. At least 36 directives were issued at the meeting for proper utilisation of multi-crop land, sources said. According to the sources, at least 26.56 lakh acres of farmlands were shifted to non-agricultural sector between 2003 and 2013. Over 661 acres of agricultural land are being changed to non-agricultural sector per day, the sources added. As per The Bangladesh Land Holding (Limitation) President order No 98 of 1972, no family [or body] shall be entitled to retain any land held by it in excess of one hundred standard bighas in the aggregate and all lands held by it in excess of that quantity shall be surrendered to the government; and no family [or body] shall be entitled to acquire any land by purchase, inheritance, gift, heba or otherwise which, added to the land already held by it exceeds one hundred standard bighas in the aggregate.