Law to return vested properties

28 November 2011, 18:00 PM

Bss, Sangsad Bhaban

A bill was passed in the Jatiya Sangsad yesterday with the objective of a smooth return of vested properties to the genuine owners. The Vested Properties Return (Amendment) Bill 2011 was moved in the House by Land Minister Mohammad Rezaul Karim Hira through keeping various provisions in it. While moving the bill, Rezaul said though the Vested Property Return Act 2001 had been enacted, it could not be implemented as yet. “It has become necessary to amend and implement this law for the sake of ensuring social discipline and justice by returning land owned by citizens but wrongly enlisted as vested properties,” he told the house. The proposed bill has provisions to prepare district-wise lists of such vested properties and publish those through gazette notifications within 120 days of the execution of the act. The bill has provisions for widely circulating this list of vested properties locally and also for providing such lists to interested and intended persons. If any property is wrongly included in the vested property list, its owners must put up a claim with the upazila or mohanagar committee concerned within 90 days of the gazette notification. They must then apply with proper documents to the authorities for releasing the property from the list. The committees concerned after proper scrutiny, examinations and, if necessary, on the spot visits will prepare a report within 120 days of receiving the application and send it to the relevant district committee for further action. The district committee, within 45 days of receiving recommendations from the upazila and mohanagar committees, will refer it to the deputy commissioners for final decision. The deputy commissioner will pronounce the final verdict within 30 days of receiving the recommendations of the district committee. If anyone feels aggrieved by the deputy commissioner's decision, he may submit an appeal to the central committee within 30 days of the decision. The central committee on receiving such complaints will arrange a personal hearing from the aggrieved person and give its decision on the basis of rules, regulations and provisions. This decision will be final. Provisions were kept in the proposed bill to form a five-member upazila committee headed by the upazila nirbahi officer, a five-member Mohanagar Committee headed by the additional district magistrate, a five-member district committee headed by the deputy commissioner and a seven-member central committee headed by the land secretary for enlisting and proper scrutiny of the vested properties. The minister and state minister for land would be advisers of the central committees while the lawmakers concerned will be the advisers of the upazila, mohanagar and district committees.